Latest news with #PublicHealthSudburyandDistricts
Hamilton Spectator
06-05-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Sudbury researcher says we need to change how we talk about addiction
People who are addicted to drugs should be treated like anyone else with a chronic health condition, a Sudbury doctor and researcher says. 'The fundamental message is we need to change how we view substance use,' Dr. Kristen Morin told a group gathered at Science North for MedTalk 2025. 'It is not a moral failing that people should be punished for,' Morin said. Even just reading the words 'use' not 'abuse' is a paradigm shift, she said. Morin's presentation, Respecting Lives, Enhancing Care: Addressing the Opioid Crisis with Compassion, was one of a number made at MedTalk 2025 last week. Opioid addiction is a major health crisis in the Sudbury area, which has one of the highest addiction and overdose death rates in Ontario. Over the last five years, 696 people in the region have died from opioid overdoses due to the toxic drug supply. From January to March of this year, Public Health Sudbury and Districts reports that 35 people died from a suspected drug poisoning in the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts. During the same period last year, 24 people died from a suspected drug poisoning in the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts. This represents an annualized local mortality rate of 61.1 deaths per 100,000 population per year, compared to 56.0 deaths per 100,000 population per year in Northern Ontario overall. Rates in both areas are significantly higher than the projected Ontario rate of 15.9 deaths per 100,000 population per year. MedTalks are about cutting-edge research done by leading healthcare professionals looking for community-driven solutions. MedTalk 2025 was focused on fueling impact through innovative STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. Most of the presenters had a connection to Health Sciences North or the Health Sciences North Research Institute. 'These talks remind us of the incredible work happening in hospitals, clinics and labs and advocacy organizations all across Northern Ontario,' said Science North's CEO, Ashley Larose, in the opening moments of the event. Collaboration is a key to success in all the sciences; think Watson and Crick, or Banting and Best. In this case, researchers were paired with students in Laurentian's Science Communication program. The 10-minute presentations – like mini TED talks – were not only fascinating in themselves, but perfected in their delivery by those who are immersed in the best practices in getting messages to listeners in ways that are accessible and sometimes funny, despite their seriousness. Dr. Morin, who also participated in the 2024 event, works in addictions. Science North's Sarah Chisnell, meanwhile, talked about the importance of partnerships and that showcasing research is valuable. 'We want to get people engaged,' Chisnell said. 'There are 300 seats tonight. It is an amazing turnout. The audience is diverse. 'Science communicator program students have spent a year learning best practices and now they are sharing that know-how.' Michelle Reid, master lecturer for the Science Communication Graduate Program, agreed. 'This is such a valuable experiential learning project for my students,' Reid said. 'They get to work with real professionals with lived experiences … they are going from theory to practice.' Another researcher, Sandra Dorman from the Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health at Laurentian University, displayed impactful visuals of the fires in Fort McMurray. She demonstrated how a community with a strong awareness of the importance of training helped evacuees behave in the same ways they would in the workplace. Reducing anxiety about scans, X-rays, and ionizing radiation, Dr. Chris Thome's comparisons offered the audience facts. He addressed fears by understandable examples and highlighted the incredible value in seeing inside without incisions. Other presentations included rural and remote nursing in Northern Ontario; building children's brains through words and talk; and Patient Power, how we all are Olympians. Then there was proctology and current practices in colon cancer detection and anal examinations; being your health advocate and Public Health Sudbury and Districts' role and portfolio in increasing life span and life quality. Not to overwhelm the audience, five presentations preceded an intermission and five followed. Rather than a rapid exit, there was a buzz in the Science North Cavern as the audience mingled to discuss what they had learned. The Local Journalism Initiative is made possible through funding from the federal government. Bluesky: @ X: @SudburyStar
CBC
17-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
Sudbury newcomers face vaccine barriers as kids risk school expulsion
Social Sharing Newcomers and those without family doctors are having a difficult time accessing routine vaccines in Sudbury, according to the local Francophone health centre. Northern Ontario health units regularly send letters to inform families if their children's vaccinations are not up to date, and warn of potential school expulsion. Denis Constantineau, the CEO of Le Centre de Santé Communautaire du Grand Sudbury, says many newcomers don't have access to a family doctor and his group has been struggling to assist them. "Students are going to be expelled," said Constantineau. "We already know of one case where a student has been expelled because he's missing one vaccine. And he's on a wait list now to receive the vaccine in two months. These parents are going to have to stay home with their kids, that's the bottom line." Constantineau said last week one of the centre's client navigators spent a day with three families going from one walk-in clinic to another, trying to get vaccines. "In the three clinics they went to, one clinic flat out refused, saying it's public health's mandate. And between the other two clinics, not all the vaccines were available. So they got some but not all the vaccines they needed," he said. Sudbury health unit under pressure Public Health Sudbury and Districts said it's experiencing pressures in getting people caught up with vaccinations due to students not getting routine shots during the pandemic and the current measles outbreak in southern Ontario. The demand for health care has surged in the wake of the pandemic, yet the availability of doctors and nurse practitioners and other essential services has not kept pace, according to Sudbury public health nurse Nikki Lalonde. "We are aware that there is difficulty to obtain immunizations in a timely manner, and we are trying to work with our community partners to provide and distribute vaccines to ensure that we are able to better service the community as a whole," she said. Lalonde stressed the urgent need for vaccination and advised those with health cards to contact healthcare providers or check walk-in clinics, pharmacies, and travel clinics for vaccines. For work-related vaccinations, occupational health departments may be helpful. Routine student immunizations are available through school-based clinics or primary healthcare providers. Students requiring catch-up vaccinations and lacking a family physician can contact their health unit directly. Lalonde said public health is currently prioritizing students who are not fully vaccinated so they can return to school.
