In September, RNAO BPSO Meadow Park, a long-term care (LTC) home in Chatham, won the Quality Improvement Team of the Year award from the Ontario Long-Term Care Association (OLTCA). The award was presented at OLTCA’s annual convention, which took place in conjunction with the Biennial Global Ageing Conference in Toronto. “This was an incredible honour,” says Jessica Francis, the home’s co-director of care. “Our nomination was based on our BPSO work with the (preventing) falls BPG (best practice guideline). We owe a huge thank you to the entire RNAO team for the amazing positivity and support throughout our journey thus far.” 

RNAO LTC-BPG co-ordinator Beverly Faubert, who has acted as coach to Meadow Park as it continues to implement BPGs, “…has been absolutely incredible and represents RNAO so well. She is a major asset to the RNAO team,” adds Francis.  

RN Andrea Baumann writes a letter to the Waterloo Region Record (July 26) about keeping a new supervised consumption site open in Cambridge.

I was deeply troubled to read about the opposition to the opening of a supervised consumption site in Cambridge. As a registered nurse, I have seen the devastating effects of drug use, including fatal overdoses. We need to do more for people in our community who are struggling with drug addiction.

Supervised consumption services are one part of a multi-pronged approach to addressing harms from drug use. Supported by robust public health research, these services save lives by preventing fatal overdoses from a toxic drug supply. Harm reduction services — including supervised consumption services — offer non-judgmental and safe health services that meet people where they are at. Health-care workers can then help individuals who access these services connect with other health and social services, including addiction treatment.

Cambridge residents who use drugs are often on the margins of society and face stigma and discrimination when accessing health services. Yet, each one of us is a human being and deserves access to safe, evidence-based health care. Health policy decisions must be based on the best available research evidence, not on hearsay, opinion or fear. "Not in my backyard" is not reason enough to continue to forestall the opening of this essential service.

More than 3,700 nurses and members of the public have signed an April RNAO action alert in response to the provincial government’s decision to cut funding for public health. By the end of May, the government slowed its course, announcing it would not move on the cuts for the current year. 

RNAO has long advocated for the public health sector because public health nurses play a key role in the health of individuals and communities. In this role, RNs help to prevent and control infectious and communicable diseases, reduce harm from substance use, and ensure the safety of food and water. 

That’s why RNAO CEO Doris Grinspun joined other nurses and physicians in May to speak out against the cuts.

At a media conference at Toronto’s City Hall, organized by Joe Cressy, municipal councillor and chair of the city’s board of health, Grinspun said the cuts – especially at a time of deep public health restructuring – create instability and place critical front-end services at risk. While RNAO understands the government’s desire to make the health system more effective by creating 10 public health entities in favour of the existing 35 public health units, Grinspun implored Premier Doug Ford not to cut public health funding. She said the government risks repeating past mistakes, citing the SARs outbreak in which 43 people died. 

New grad Josee Duewel writes a letter to Sioux Lookout Bulletin (April 23) about protecting the environment and residents from the dangers of littered needles.   

Sioux Lookout needs a safe consumption site

To the residents of Sioux Lookout: With spring right around the corner, something that is on the forefront of all of our minds is the number of littered needles that will be emerging in our parks, streets and walkways. This is an issue that citizens of Sioux Lookout have been dealing with since the rise of opioid addictions in our region. There are several harm reduction programs aimed towards those individuals who inject drugs, such as the needle exchange program. In 2018, the Northwestern Health Unit provided 120,339 clean needles to individuals in Sioux Lookout, which is 20,000 more than the previous year, and 133 naloxone kits. They have also provided needle disposal kits in high traffic areas to encourage the appropriate disposal of those needles. Residents may also call upon the health unit to dispose of needles if they are found in public areas. Despite these efforts, there are still an abundance of needles being found on the streets. How can Sioux Lookout effectively deal with this issue that is posing a danger to our environment and the health of our residents? 

One suggestion is to create a safe consumption site, where individuals can use drugs in a manner that is safe, supervised, and out of public places. Although this suggestion seems to be unorthodox, we cannot ignore the fact that people are using drugs in our community. We could argue that there needs to be more intervention to stop the drug use, and I agree, there should be, however there are always going to be individuals who will use drugs, and this needs to be addressed. There are several sites across the country that have already implemented this harm reduction strategy with a high level of success. In areas where there are safe consumption sites, there has been a reported decrease in overdose deaths, injection related disease transmission, and needle litter. Collaboration from our local health unit, government, and police services is essential as there are several factors that need to be addressed and considered in order to move forward with an application for a safe consumption site, such as a description of local conditions, local policies and procedures, personnel required at each step, consultation reports, a financial plan, and an application to amend the law because using drugs is an illegal act. 

The need for a safe consumption site is clearly evident when we look at the statistics related to those individuals who consume drugs. In 2000, it was reported that 269 people utilized the Out of the Cold Shelter on a regular basis, and of this homeless population, 100 per cent of the people polled reported using alcohol or drugs in the last year. Since drugs are not allowed at the Out of the Cold Shelter, it can then be assumed that this homeless population was left to use drugs and discard their needles in public areas.

My hope in writing this letter is so that our government and social services in town will consider researching a site that will protect both our residents and environment, as well as offer some solution for the safety of those individuals who use drugs on our streets. Addiction is a complex concept that professionals are constantly striving to understand, however if we work together as a community alongside our social service organizations and local government, we can continue to create a plan to help combat this epidemic. 
 

Health officials are concerned children may be at risk if they consume cannabis-infused edibles, including homemade pot cookies and cannabis-infused gummies. According to Durham Region public health nurse Nadine Ladouceur, ingesting cannabis-infused edibles can result in anxiety, paranoia and hallucinations. Symptoms can intensify and become dangerous if too much is consumed, especially by children. “You can have nausea, vomiting, slurred speech, and can even stop breathing if you consume too much,” she says, adding: “It depends on your metabolism and body weight.” The side effects from edibles can emerge 30 minutes to two hours after consumption. Once the edibles kick in, she says, the effects can last up to 12 hours. Edibles are to be legalized in Canada in late-2019. (DurhamRegion.com, April 15) 

David McNeil, RNAO past-president and president of the Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS), is leading a new committee he hopes will create 
a revitalized vision for the organization. “Our goal is to co-create a strategic plan with the community,” says McNeil. This work “…will guide us towards 2025 to ensure we are meeting the needs of a diverse community, staff, physicians and volunteers,” he adds. Participants include Brantford’s mayor, nursing students, professors from McMaster University, and staff at BCHS, including its chief nurse executive Wendy Pomponio. The committee first met in May and will continue to meet throughout the year. The goal is to announce a plan in February or March of 2020. A website (ourbchs.ca) provides information about community meetings and allows the public to provide input. (Brantford Expositor, May 8) 
 

A new hospice will soon be coming to Smiths Falls Rideau Community Health Services. The facility will be the first of its kind between Kingston and Ottawa. “I think the community would benefit from it,” says CEO Michele Bellows. “It gives patients and families another option for end-of-life. Right now, your options are hospital, travel to a hospice, or die at home.” Bellows says the area has already been approved for four hospice beds. However, she would like to see the number of beds increase. More than six, or as many as 10 would be ideal. Currently, there are no hospice beds in Perth, Merrickville or the Smiths Falls corridor. And although Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital offers palliative care, Bellows says it is not the same as a hospice. (Smiths Falls Record News, May 27)