Latest news with #peerSupport
CBC
4 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Peer support agency in Thunder Bay, Ont., readies for relocation, new supportive housing
Social Sharing A peer support agency in Thunder Bay, Ont., is relocating its drop-in centre, as it expands its services to include supportive housing on the south side of town. People Advocating for Change Through Empowerment (PACE), located at 510 Victoria Avenue E., is a central location for some of the city's most vulnerable. There, they can get food and free clothing, do their laundry, take a shower and connect with others in a safe environment. The organization has recently become involved in the province's new Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub (HART) program, following the closure of the region's only supervised consumption site, Path 525, at the end of March. "We love this space. However, to make it work better with the new initiatives coming up by the government and for the initiatives going on in this business area, like the [Victoriaville] mall coming down, our people need a place to go," said Georgina McKinnon, PACE's executive director. In the coming weeks, PACE will relocate to 409 George St., directly across from Shelter House, remaining in the neighbourhood it's been serving for years. With the new space comes room for a dozen new supportive housing units, which McKinnon hopes become part of a continuum of care for people recovering from addiction, she said. "We're hoping to be one of the last steps, that people come out of recovery, go into more heavily-supported housing, down to lightly-supported housing," McKinnon explained. "We can help them out downstairs in PACE before they get out into the world on their own." The Thunder Bay district continues to have the highest opioid-related death rate in Ontario, at nearly five times the provincial average. NorWest Community Health Centres, which operated Path 525, is the lead partner for Thunder Bay's HART Hub. Unlike supervised consumption sites, HART Hubs do not allow supervised drug consumption, safer supply or needle exchange programs. According to the province, they instead focus on providing primary care, employment support, and mental health, addiction and social services — much of which PACE already offers. "I'm so excited," McKinnon said of the upcoming move. "PACE is expanding in so many ways, it's amazing." 'They help me with all of it' Everyone who works at PACE has lived experience of the challenges their clients are going through, such as homelessness, addictions and mental health issues. David Baumgartner is a long-time client at PACE who started coming there when he was staying at an overnight shelter. "It kind of became like my second home. I'm here often, pretty much every day, for everything from just talking to people to eating to getting clothes, whatever," he said. "They help me with all of it." He said it's important for the city to support places like PACE, which are open to everyone. "Even though I have an apartment, I still come here to eat. I come here to get out of the house; it gets depressing sitting in there all the time," Baumgartner said. "It kind of became like my second home." - David Baumgartner, client at PACE "It's really important to have a space like this, where people can feel safe." McKinnon said PACE is planning a seamless transition to its new space to avoid any disruption in services. A moving company is expected to start bringing things over from the Victoria Avenue East location in mid-July. Renovations have already started at the George Street building, she said. Her hope is that as PACE expands its presence in the region, more people gain a better understanding of the clients it serves. "Once you get to know the people that come to PACE, you get a whole different idea of them. They're wonderful people that really want to give back to the community," McKinnon said. As temperatures begin to rise, she said PACE is most in need of donations of seasonal clothing — especially for men — as well as shoes, kitchen and household items and fans.
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Women-only mental health service opens for military personnel
An online support service for female military veterans "struggling to come forward" has been started for the East of England. The Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) is organising the sessions after identifying a gap in service will focus on providing peer support as well as managing mental health conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. It will offer a safe space to discuss sexual assault and harassment within the armed forces. Clinical nurse specialist Vicki Bailey works for the NHS mental health trust's Veterans Integrated Service and identified the need while studying at Anglia Ruskin University. "There wasn't any research around the barriers female veterans face when accessing mental health services and that ignited a passion to offer something bespoke," she said. Some 25 female veterans have signed up so far to join online monthly meetings. RAF veteran Mandy Small, from Rendlesham in Suffolk, served in the RAF as a dog handler. She did two tours of Iraq where she was injured in a mortar blast which knocked her out of an observation tower on to the concrete said she had experienced mental health issues and had had support from the NSFT and was part of the new group. "It's important for everyone, whether male or female, to have a safe space -somewhere that they feel comfortable enough to be able to open up," she said."I hope these new drop-ins will encourage more people who are struggling to come forward, so they realise they are not alone going through their issues." Ms Small said the prevalence of sexual assault within the armed forces was a barrier to women taking part in support services for veterans. She said: "So many people are still living with the trauma of this, and they have only just been given a voice. "Women-only groups are so important as people don't always feel confident enough to discuss this in front of men." The NSFT provides NHS mental health services across Norfolk and Suffolk, but its new service is available to veterans across the wider Eastern region including Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Essex and can register for the new service via the NSFT plan is to expand the service in the autumn for members who have a mental health issue and need more clinical support. A range of support services for people with mental health and other issues is listed on the BBC Action Line pages. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Sister pays tribute to 'kind and caring' mental health worker
The sister of a "kind and caring" mental health worker found dead at her home has paid tribute to her. Olivia Martinez, from the Pottergate area of Norwich, had spent the past three years working as a peer support worker for the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. But the body of the 29-year-old was found at her home by a friend in Waddington Street on Monday, May 5. An inquest opening into her death revealed that she had committed an act that ended her life. Oliver Martinez died earlier this month (Image: Submitted) Sharing a tribute with this paper, sister Serena Crofts said: 'We have set up a Go Fund Me to help fund her funeral. 'It is also to be able to make a donation to the Huntington's Disease Associate in her name, as this illness affected her life due to her mum and grandpa having the condition.' She went on to describe her sister as 'a kind caring young woman' who was 'loved by so many people'. READ MORE: READ MORE: Paying tribute via the Go Fund Me page, she added: 'Anyone who knew Liv, knew that she brightened up any room she was in. Whether that be by making funny TikTok [videos] or just being herself. 'Tragically, Liv lost her battle with her mental health and took her own life. This is something Olivia had been dealing with for over a decade. 'She has left a big hole in so many people's lives but the solace we can take is that she is back with her beautiful mother.' They family hope to be able to fund a white horse-drawn carriage for her funeral, complete with pink plumes. Olivia Martinez (Image: Norfolk and Waveney Mind) Ms Crofts added: 'We feel this is something she would adore, along with flowers and making the day as lovely as we can.' They also plan to donate to the Huntington's Disease Association and Norfolk and Waveney Mind, both important organisations to Ms Martinez. "She had done a lot of work closely with the Huntington's charity to raise money and awareness of the disease, so any money that is left over afterwards will be donated,' Ms Crofts added. 'We massively appreciate any help given whether it be a little or a lot. Know that no matter what, Olivia loved you all and would be so proud of us all coming together at this time.' Visit to donate. Do you need support? Samaritans can be reached 24/7 on 116 123 for completely confidential support and advice. The NHS First Response Service is available 24/7 on 111 option 2, providing urgent mental health support for people in Norfolk and Suffolk.
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Surrey's female-only mental health group hits one-year milestone
A female-only mental health support group in Surrey is celebrating one year of helping people in the Moore started Grow and Glow in Epsom in 2024 after she could not find a local peer support space for women struggling with their mental Surrey Fire and Rescue Service firefighter said: "After experiencing my own challenges and receiving a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, I took time off work to focus on my recovery. "During that period, I searched for a local women's peer support group but found nothing available and I knew something had to change." At the weekly meetings people sit in a circle and are asked how their week is going and if they have anything they want to get off their group, which has expanded to Guildford and Reigate, is still fully funded by Ms Moore."I didn't want to wait for funding, I didn't want to wait for red tape [and] all [those] kind of hoops you've got to jump through," she told BBC Radio Surrey."I knew that I wanted to start something, I knew that I needed it and I wanted to provide it for other women." The group has expanded to Guildford and Reigate with weekly sessions offering a safe, welcoming space for women to share their struggles and victories. Ms Moore said: "We're not therapists, we're not counsellors, it's about lived experiences and people who have been through it and are going through it. "And I think there's a beauty in people that understand and just get it and say 'I'm really sorry you're going through that, that's rubbish, but we're here for you'."Ms Moore is looking for people to facilitate more groups in the county."Our mission from the beginning has been to create an accessible space for every woman in Surrey, and that remains our mission today," she said. If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can visit the BBC's Action Line.
Irish Times
15-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
UCC professor launches support service for doctors suffering from exhaustion and burnout
Having worked as a consultant in critical care and anaesthesiology for many years, Prof Dorothy Breen has seen first-hand the distress caused by burnout within the medical profession. Keen to do something about it, she began investigating the problem and quickly discovered that only a small proportion of doctors ever seek outside support to ease their job-related pressures. This inspired her to set up , a coaching and mentoring service provided by doctors for doctors. 'An Irish Medical Organisation survey conducted in 2021 shows that only 7 per cent of Irish doctors reach out for support, yet over 60 per cent report feelings of burnout and exhaustion,' Breen says. 'What is really key here is the importance of peer-led solutions and as of now there is no coaching services for doctors by doctors. There are corporate solutions available, but they are not considered by medical practitioners to meet their specific needs. READ MORE 'ForDoctors addresses this need through a coaching service that is led and delivered by doctors with appropriate qualifications. Doctors are uniquely placed to support each other with levels of empathy and a deep understanding that can only be appreciated from a place of lived experience.' Practitioners can avail of the service either in person or online and it is aimed at clinicians at all stages in their careers, from doctors in training to GPs and hospital consultants. The focus will be on the domestic market initially, with a service for Irish doctors based abroad to follow. 'The aim is to provide a confidential, proactive, guided process for doctors to achieve a more fulfilling career, a better work-life balance and enhanced performance. Medicine will only be transformed when doctors are assisted to thrive in all aspects of their lives,' Breen says. 'Exhaustion and burnout are not only an issue for doctors. They are also an issue for patient safety,' adds Breen, a trained coach and mentor who lectures in leadership, quality improvement and patient safety at the RCSI and in UCC, where she is a clinical professor. [ Almost quarter of nurses, midwives saw doctor over work stress, INMO survey finds Opens in new window ] 'I have over 30 years of clinical experience in Ireland and Australia as a doctor, researcher and educator and have always been involved in quality improvement and clinical leadership both in practice and academia. This led me to avail of formal coaching throughout my career and I found it to be enormously beneficial in both my personal and professional life.' What can often get overlooked, Breen notes, is that many clinicians are juggling multifaceted roles as their workload frequently includes challenging non-medical tasks such as practice management and team leadership on top of looking after their patients. ForDoctors was set up in mid-2024 on a budget of about €20,000, and Breen has recently participated in the Ignite incubation programme for start-ups based at UCC. 'Having been an academic and clinician all my life I needed to develop the entrepreneurial skills required to set up a business and Ignite was invaluable in helping me to do this,' she says. 'The programme provided access to guidance and training from industry experts and also a safe environment for me to test and validate my idea and business proposition.' ForDoctors will operate with a panel of coaches/mentors and Breen says that while coaching has long been part of the business world, medicine has been slow to follow. 'There is essentially no model for coaching in medicine, so somebody had to go first. Doctors are high achievers by nature and want to give of their best. However, they are currently facing enormous pressures in their lives with unprecedented demands on their time and services. 'Through coaching, doctors can recalibrate and take concrete steps towards their desired life and career goals no matter what system they work in,' Breen says.
