COVID-19 pandemic

While stress is an inherent factor in medicine, it has been at an all time high for health care workers (HCW) in the last few months. Due to the unprecedented changes in health care, and dealing with much uncertainty and complexity as a result of COVID-19, sleep health disruption is one of the most commonly reported symptoms in HCWs. As HCWs well-being and patient safety are inextricably linked, it is imperative that we address sleep health for the sake of both HCWs and their patients.

In March 2020, as a result of the pandemic, and in an effort to minimize and control the risk of COVID-19 cases, many hospitals across the country reacted quickly and made significant changes to their family presence policies. With some exceptions, many organizations instituted blanket visitor restrictions, which included essential partners in care.

Prior to the pandemic, the newly opened Kenora Youth Wellness Hub had put in place a robust suite of in-person services which included primary care, sexual health, mental health, substance use, educational and employment supports, cultural and recreational programming, and service navigation support. Social distancing requirements and group size limitations meant that the hub had to close its’ doors and find creative ways to support the youth in this critical time.

The Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) is a brief mental health screener that can be used by health professionals and researchers, to reliably identify dysfunctional anxiety associated with COVID-19 and symptom severity. 

Covid-19 and Gambling in Ontario -- by Nigel E Turner, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Gambling Issues

During the pandemic, the Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT) at CMHA-Kenora was not able to safely see all clients in the office. Some clients may also have had challenges in self-isolating and/or sharing information required for COVID-19 screening. 

See how CMHA-Kenora's ACTT Team adapted their service to create a way to see clients safely while still maintaining both privacy and security during psychiatric consults. 

Before COVID-19, patients accessing the Georgian Bay Family Health Team's Collingwood After-Hours Clinic would wait to be seen in the corridor outside the clinic. Social distancing requirements made this problematic, so services needed to be adapted. See how the After-Hours Clinic adapted their service design to allow patients to access medical care while remaining in their own safe environment. 

Back by Popular Demand! OASW is pleased to have secured two new virtual training opportunities with Lawrence Murphy, MA, of Worldwide Therapy Online.

• Martine Chanal, Policy Officer for Strategy and Inno

The H-CARDD program was developed to address disparities in health status and health care access faced by individuals with developmental disabilities in Ontario, Canada. Individuals with developmental disabilities often have complex health care needs, experience difficulty in accessing appropriate services, and tend to encounter health care providers with little knowledge of how to support them.

The COVID-19 outbreak in the far north village of La Loche and Clearwater River Dene Nation, Saskatchewan was one of the first outbreaks in a remote community in Canada. With a population of just over 4000, the communities are approximately 95% Indigenous (First Nations and Métis). On April 15, 2020, the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the area and was then transmitted rapidly throughout the community.

McMaster University's Health Forum and the Rapid Improvement Support and Exchange (RISE) put together a rapid evidence profile highlighting documents related to "What pandemic-related mental health and addictions issues have emerged and what indicators and strategies can be used to monitor and address them, respectively?"