COVID-19 pandemic

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.

Pat Armstrong – leading researcher is interviewed by David Herle – leading political consultant with, high level questions and grounded in straight forward and nuanced answers.  How do you have both straight forward and nuanced answers on unrecognized and skilled work, taxes and implementation of workplace policy? The podcast is worth your time.

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.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected older persons with comorbidities, with a high fatality rate in this group. 

In this webinar, we will review the basics of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19); what is known so far about its effects on the body and on the brain; and on outcomes when infection occurs in persons living with dementia. We will discuss the ethics of allocating scarce medical resources during a pandemic, and the effects it may have on access to care for persons with dementia.

• Alison Dunning from 

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.  

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.

This is an overview of how to offer and facilitate peer support during this challenging time of a global pandemic. It's for anyone who wants skills for how to support the mental health and wellness of their peers. Whether you're supporting someone who is working on the frontlines of COVID-19 or a neighbour feeling isolated, these tools will help you do so responsibly and effectively.  

In this webinar, we'll cover the following topics: 

• Peer support basics 

• Supporting one another in challenging times 

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:

This recording is from CAMH's Grand Rounds, May 21 session. To play recording click here (Recording password: kNK6Spy2).

Presentation slides are attached below. Click on the 'File' link.

Here are the learning objectives of each presentation:

Being in quarantine is already difficult and there are a number of additional issues that LGBTQI2S people may face. Egale, Canada’s leading organization for LGBTQI2S people and issues, has created a resource hub to help get LGBTQ2S+ persons through this difficult time.

COVID-19 created limitations to providing in-person client care. These same limitations impacted many of the routines that gave people purpose and meaning in their lives. Personal choices became limited given the pandemic restrictions, creating changes to the structure of people's days and their connection to friends, family and community. 

CMHA Kenora recognized the continuing and expanding need in the community for support with depression and anxiety during the pandemic. See how they adapted their services to meet the shifting need from the community.

People experiencing homelessness often have compromised health, compounding health issues and are at an elevated risk from viruses like COVID-19. Shelters, drop-in centres, housing providers and other facilities and services that support people experiencing homelessness have increased risk of disease outbreaks.

How do you turn emergency policy into long-term systems change?

Join Matt Downie, Director of Policy and External Affairs at Crisis, and Tim Richter, President & CEO of the Canadian Alliance for Homelessness (CAEH), for an exciting transatlantic discussion, exploring effective ways to advocate for housing-led solutions to homelessness in the wake of  COVID19. The webinar includes a short Q&A session and you can submit your question in advance via the registration form below. 

Les professionnels de la santé mentale et autre personnel de première ligne ont tendance à être le premier point de contact pour les personnes éprouvant des difficultés émotionnelles, mentales et physiques. Fournir ce niveau de soins constants est éprouvant et peut avoir un impact notre bien-être si des mesures de soutien adéquates ne sont pas en place, surtout dans le contexte actuel.

Mental health professionals and other support workers tend to be the first point of contact for people experiencing emotional, mental and physical difficulties. Providing this level of constant care is demanding and can encroach upon the personal well-being of staff if adequate support measures are not in place, especially given the current context.

The City of Toronto has developed a COVID-19 Mental Health Support Strategy that responds to the needs of vulnerable residents.

The Canadian Network for the Health and Housing of People Experiencing Homelessness (CNH3) and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) are hosting COVID-19 webinars to support the homelessness-serving sector’s response to the pandemic.