BounceBack Ontario is now available on the Ocean eReferral Network. This means that you will be able to send referrals to the BounceBack program directly from your EMR instead of by fax.

Prior to COVID-19, no comprehensive approach to managing a complex incident such as a pandemic existed at HANDS. See the innovation highlights below to see how HANDS the Family Help Network implemented an Incident Management System to frame their response to the pandemic, how they developed a Brief Intensive Therapy model to support families in need of more intensive support, how they are supporting their staff in working from home, and how they are embedding IPAC measures in their planning for safe return to work.

Want to learn how you can limit the harms of cannabis use?Want to have better conversations about cannabis use with your patients or clients?In 2019, we asked over 800 residents of Peterborough aged 18 and older about their use and perspectives around recreational cannabis use. The following videos capture what we learned.

Cannabis Conversations for Service Providers: https://youtu.be/NGEjX7cobjw

As part of Mental Health Week in May, Addictions and Mental Health Ontario (AMHO) and Children's Mental Health Ontario (CMHO) released new Ipsos data looking at the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and addiction.

The Hong Fook Mental Health Association is offering multi-lingual mental health resources available on their YouTube channel, including topics on stress management, relationship resilience, and coping with anxiety. Languages include Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin, and Vietnamese.

Check out their mental health webinars here.

Making the Shift, Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, A Way Home Canada are excited to announce the release of the Youth Reconnect Program Model Guide—a community-based early intervention model which aims to reduce and prevent youth homelessness by helping young people stay connected to their family, community, school and strengthen their connections to natural supports.  

In order to safely accommodate patients presenting to the Emergency Department with COVID-19-like symptoms, North Bay Regional Health Centre divided the emergency department into respiratory (wet) and non-respiratory (dry) zones. The new wet zone contained the location where mental health patients had historically been assessed by the crisis team. Check out this innovation highlight to see how NBRHC came up with an innovative way to reduce Mental Health visits within the ED by diverting to their newly formed alternate location.  

The Smithsonian's African American History Museum recently launched the free online educational resource, Talking About Race. It's for a range of audiences, including educators, parents, and concerned individuals, and teaches about race and racism and how to discuss them in various contexts.

Providing harm reduction and overdose support has changed post COVID-19.  The Homelessness Services Association of B.C developed a guide outlining steps to take should you need to respond to an overdose incident while minimizing the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

How we work has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic for most of us, especially for front-line workers in the addiction and mental health sector. Self-care is especially important at this time. We may not be aware of the extra stress caused by this situation, but it's there and only gets worse if we don't do something about it.

Addictions and Mental Health Ontario (AMHO) has released two Snapshots about the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and addiction sector: