Newsletter Winter 2017

In this Issue

1. RecoveryDays

2. OpioidConference

3. ParenttoParent(P2P)Support

4. B4Stage4ConferenceinVictoriaBC

5. MeetingwiththeOfficeoftheProvincialAdvocateforChildrenandYouth

6. MeetingwiththeMOHLTCregardingtheirOpioidStrategy

7. PhysicianEducation

8. MeetingwiththeTDSB

9. FAR’sWebsite

10.ResearchUpdate

11.DonorRecognition

12.ReasonsforOptimism

13.OntarioMinistryofFinancePre-BudgetSubmission

14.Chloe’sRecovery

FAR Families for Addiction Recovery

1. Recovery Days

FARcelebratedourfirstRecoveryDaysinTorontoonSept.18th,2016andOttawaonSeptember24th,2016.

Newsletter Winter 2017

2. Opiod Conference

FARwasoneof250participantsinvitedtoattendtheOpioidConferencetoaddresstheopioidoverdoseepidemic.Thegovernmentsandmedicalprofessionsarecommittedtoaddresstheoverprescribingofopiatestopainpatientsandtosupportingthesepainpatientsintransitioningfromopiatestootherformsofpainmanagement.However,thisisthetipoftheiceberg.

Itisextremelydisappointingthattheissueofthedecriminalizationofthepossessionofalldrugsforpersonalusewasnotontheagenda.WhenPortugaldecriminalizeddrugpossessionforpersonalusein2000when1%oftheirpopulationwasonheroin(aswellasaddressingothersocialdeterminantsofhealthlikehousingandjobs)thenumberofoverdosedeathsdecreasedby80%(from80to16)by2012.

FARwasgivenafewminutesinasessionwithMinisterPhilpottimmediatelyaftertheconferencetovoiceourconcerns:

· Itisnotenoughtojustbeconcernedwiththe10-20%ofpeoplewhowanttreatmentanddonothingaboutthe80-90%whoarenotseekingtreatment.Wehavetolookatwhypeopledon’tseektreatmentandaddresstheirconcerns:

· Thedoublestigmatizationofaddictionandcriminalitywhichcanonlybeaddressedbydecriminalizingthepossessionofdrugsforpersonaluse.

· Thetreatmentthattheyreceivefrommedicalprofessionals.Doctorsneedtobetrainedinaddictionmedicine,notjustregardingopioidusedisorder,butallsubstanceusedisorders,sothatpersonsstrugglingwithaddictionreceivecompassionate,evidence-basedtreatment.

· Withrespecttoyouth,whentheirlivesbecomesochaoticduetoaddictionandothermentalhealthdisordersandtheydonotseethattheyneedtreatment,theremustbealternativesotherthanhomelessnessorcriminalization.Wewanttostartanationaldiscussiononwhattodoaboutyouthwhoareaddictedanddonotseektreatment.

· ThefederalgovernmentneedstotakestepstobringVivitrol(aninjectableformofnaltrexonethatlastsonemonth)toCanada.Thisdrugcancurbcravingsinpersonswithopioidusedisorderaswellasalcoholusedisorder.

· Familiesandpersonswithlivedexperiencemustbeconsultedatallstagesofthedevelopment,implementationandreviewofthestrategiesrelatedtosubstanceusedisorder.

FAR Families for Addiction Recovery

3. Parent to Parent (“P2P”) Support

FARhasstartedtrainingourfirstgroupofparentswhowillsupportotherparentsdealingwithachildstrugglingwithaddiction.Therewillbeonemoretrainingsessionpriortothelaunchoftheprogram.Wearedevelopingastrategytopromotethispeersupportprogram.WehavemetwiththeFamilyNavigationProjectatSunnybrookregardingthisandotherwaysofcollaborating.

4. B4Stage4 Conference in Victoria, BC

Thefocusofthisconferencewasontheimportanceoftreatingmentalhealthandsubstanceusedisorderslikeotherillnesses–assoonaspossible-ratherthanwaitinguntiltheillnesshasprogressedtostagefour(whenpersonsareaharmtothemselvesorothers).“ToomanypeoplecontinuetoaccesscarethroughEmergencyDepartmentsorthroughthecriminaljusticesystem.Wewaittoolong...oftenyearsandtoooftenwhencareisprovideditoftencomeswithadditionaltrauma...Achievingequalityformentalhealthandaddictioncarewillrequireinvestmentineducation,prevention,andearlyintervention.”Werecommendthateveryoneaffectedbysubstanceuseormentalhealthdisorderssignthemanifestohere.YoudonothavetobearesidentofBCtosignthemanifesto.

Newsletter Winter 2017

5. Meeting with The Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth

WehadaverypositivemeetingwithIrwinElman,theChildAdvocateinOntario.Wediscussedthelackofservicesforyouthstrugglingwithaddictionandothermentalhealthdisorders.Wealsodiscussedthatyouthwhoarestrugglingwithaddictionoftenlackcapacitytomakedecisionsintheirownbestinterestsandrefusetreatment.Ourlaws(eitherasdraftedorasapplied)inOntario,andmanyotherprovinces,giveprioritytotherightoftheyouthtorefusetreatmentwhichallowstheirdisordertoprogressandputsthematgreatrisk,possiblyinviolationofthefollowingarticlesoftheUNConventionontheRightsoftheChild:

· Article3:ProtectionoftheBestInterestsoftheChild;

· Article24:RighttoGoodQualityHealthCare(theirrefusaloftreatmentactsasacompletebarriertotreatmentoftheirillness);

· Article33:Righttobeprotectedfromtheuseofharmfuldrugsandfrombeingusedinthedrugtrade.

6. Meeting with the Ontario Ministry of Health (“MOHLTC”) regarding their Opioid StrategyFARprovidedthefollowingcommentstotheMOHLTCregardingtheirnewOpioidStrategy:

· Thenewstrategyisexcellentinaddressingtheoverprescribingofopioidsbydoctorsandtheresultingdependence/addictionoftheirpatients.Theproblemismuchbroaderthanthat.

· Naloxoneisstillnotavailableinmostpharmacies.

· PhysiciansmustbetrainedregardingSuboxone.

· Opioiddependentinmatesatprovincialpenitentiariesaredetoxediftheyarenotonmedicationassistedtreatment(“MAT”)whentheyarrive.Thisislikelycontraindicatedandputsthematgreatriskofoverdosewhentheyarereleased.Recommendation:InmatesbegiventheoptionofbeingplacedonMATinsteadofautomaticallybeingdetoxed.IftheyareonMATwhentheyarereleasedtheymustcontinuetoreceiveMATwithoutinterruption.Alternate recommendation:Ifthereisnochangeinthepolicytodetoxinmateswithopioidusedisorder,wesuggestedthattheyimplementwhatsomeUSprisonsaredoingandgiveaVivitrolshotonreleasetominimizetheriskofoverdose.(ThisrequirestheapprovalofVivitrolbyHealthCanada.)

FAR Families for Addiction Recovery

· Addressthebarrierstotreatment(whythemajorityofthosewithSUDdon’tseektreatment)

· Double stigma of criminality and addiction· Recommendation:EncourageFederalMOHtodecriminalizepossessionofall

drugsforpersonaluse.Thisisanevidence-basedpolicy(Portugal).

· Judgmental and ineffective treatment· Recommendation:mandatedphysicianeducationstartinginthefallof2017inall

medicalschoolssophysiciansscreenfor,interveneandtreatorrefertotreatmentforallSUDs.ReviewfeeforserviceandotherdisincentivestotreatthosewithSUD.

· Issue of capacity · Recommendation:Setupataskforcetodevelopbestpracticeswithrespectto

involuntarytreatmentandreleaseofnecessaryhealthinformationtofamilycaregiversasdirectedinthe2010ReportoftheSelectCommitteeonAddictionandMentalHealthandpromisedbytheMOHLTCinOpenMinds,HealthyMinds(2011).

· Fundingparityformentalhealthandaddiction.

· Involvefamiliesatalllevelsandstages.

7. Physician Education InAugust,2016FARwrotetotheAssociationofFacultiesofMedicineCanada(“AFMC”),whichisthebodythatregulatesthe17medicalfacultiesinCanada,regardingtheneedforacourseinaddictionmedicine.Afterfourmonths,wehavebeenadvisedthatcurriculumsettingistheresponsibilityofeachschooland,assuch,AFMCdoesnothaveanyauthorityindictatingcontent.Wewillbefollowingupwitheachofthe17medicalfaculties.AFMChave,however,partneredwiththePalixFoundationtoprovidefundingandsupportforthedevelopmentofasuiteofe-learningtoolsonearlybrainandbiologicaldevelopmentandaddictionsforundergraduatemedicaleducation.

FARhashadbetterluckwithourlettertotheFederationofMedicalRegulatoryAuthoritiesofCanada(“FMRAC”),whichregulatesexistingphysicians.TheyreferredustotheCollegeofFamilyPhysiciansofCanada.Wehavehadadiscussionwiththemtovoiceourconcernsandarehopingtoworkwiththemtodevelopsolutions.

Newsletter Winter 2017

8. Meeting with the Toronto District School Board (“TDSB”)WehavehadourfirstmeetingwiththeTDSBtodiscuss:

· Theneedforrecoveryhighschools;

· Thedevelopmentofaprogramtoteachstudentsaboutsubstanceusedisorderandtheuseofyoungpersonsinrecoverytodelivertheprogram;

· Thedevelopmentofaprogramtoteachparentsandstaffaboutthepreventionofandearlyinterventionforsubstanceusedisorderandtreatment.

9. FAR’s Website

OurwebsiteisscheduledtolaunchattheendofFebruary.ThebestwaytofollownewsanddevelopmentsregardingaddictionistolikeandfollowourFacebookpage.

10. Research Update

PineRiverInstitute(“PRI”)hasadvisedthattheresearchprojectthatFARisco-fundingregardingwhathappenstoadolescentsandtheirfamilieswhiletheywaitfortreatmentatPRIwillbereleasedinFebruaryof2017.

11. Donor Recognition

WeareextremelygratefultothosewhochosetomakeadonationtoFARin2016.Thesedonationsarekeyinallowingustocarryoutourmission.

Major Donor ($10,000 +)

Anonymous(2)AvrilleandJ.WinstonBowShellandKayMaudeCharitableFoundation,inlovingmemoryoftheirson, JamesSheldon(“Ian”)MaudeAqueductFoundation(TheMcCarterHamiltonFund)

Supporter ($1,000+)

AndreaKustersTomandDr.BarbWatts

Donor

Anonymous(1)DaveandTraceyAddisonDavidKingandMarciaMorrisRecoveryCounsellingServicesDonnaWhite,inlovingmemoryofherson,ToddWhiteWhittamore’sFarmMarketLimited

FAR Families for Addiction Recovery

12. Reasons for Optimism Boththefederalandprovincialgovernmentshaveshownwillingnessin2016tomoveonimprovingtheoutcomesofpersonsstrugglingwithopioidusedisorder.OnNov.19th,2016TheJointStatementofActiontoAddresstheOpioidCrisiswasreleasedinwhichfortydifferentorganizationscommittedtovariousactionstoaddresstheopioidoverdoseepidemic.TheseactionswillgoalongwaytoaddresstheoverprescribingofopiatesbyCanadianphysicians,promotethedevelopmentofalternativemethodsofpainmanagement,extendtheavailabilityofpharmacotherapiestotreatopioidusedisorder,reducethesupplyofillicitopiatesandimproveharmreductionbyreducingtherequirementsforopeningsupervisedconsumptionsites.

Onabroaderlevel,thefederalgovernmentintroducedtheCanadianDrugsandSubstancesStrategyonDec.12th,2016.ThenewStrategyreplacestheexistingNationalAnti-DrugStrategy.HarmreductionhasbeenrestoredasoneofthefourcorepillarsofCanada’sdrugpolicy,theotherpillarsbeingprevention,treatmentandenforcement.TheresponsibilityfortheStrategyhasbeentransferredfromtheMinisterofJusticetotheMinisterofHealth,signalingthedesiretotreataddictionasapublichealthissueasopposedtoacriminaljusticeissue.

"Addressing the roots of the opioid crisis demands a whole-of-society response. It means calling out stigma and discrimination as barriers to care. It means building a society where children receive tender attention and adults aren't so isolated and lonely. It means an international search for effective answers and being willing to discuss bold policy alternatives. A national opioid crisis demands our collective courage, creativity and resources. In 2017, we must work together to identify solutions and save lives." MinisterPhilpott,inTheGlobeandMail,Jan.13th,2017

Theseareallpositiveandwelcomechanges.

13. Ontario Ministry of Finance Pre-Budget Submissions

FAR’sSubmissionrequestingincreasedfundingtotreataddictionandothermentalhealthdisordersinthe2017-2018OntarioBudgetcanbefoundhere.

ThelegalizationofmarijuanawillprovideanewandsignificantsourceofincomefortheOntariogovernmentwhichmadeaprofitinexcessof$2.5billionfromthesaleofalcoholin2015-2016.Maleyouthwithaddictionandconcurrentmentalhealthdisordersinneedoflongtermresidentialcarearecurrentlywaiting16monthsfortreatmentatPineRiverInstitute,theonlylongtermresidentialfacilityinOntario.Thewaittimehasincreasedsincetheannouncementthatyouthaddictionisapriorityforthegovernment.Doesanythingelseneedtobesaid?

Newsletter Winter 2017

14. Chloe’s Recovery

InDecemberRyersonUniversitystudent,BrittanyNguyen,releasedChloe’sDocumentary,whichtellsthestoryofChloeWhite,thedaughterofFAR’sCo-Founder,LouiseWhite,andthepainfulandinspiringjourneytorecoveryforChloeandherfamily.

www.farcanada.org

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