Fourth Friday Lunch 'n' Learn: Dismantling Weight Stigma and Anti-Fat Bias in Health Care

This webinar is presented by the Alliance as part of our "Fourth Fridays" lunch 'n' learn series.

Weight stigma and anti-fat bias are pervasive in many settings, including health care. They intersect with multiple systems of oppression, contribute to the oppression of marginalized groups, and lead to poorer health outcomes. But they can be unlearned. Phoebe Lee, a weight-inclusive dietitian at Black Creek Community Health Centre will share her learnings and unlearnings related to anti-fat bias and weight stigma in health care and provide you with practical advice for making your organization and your practice more inclusive. Through small-group exercises and discussion, participants will have the opportunity to examine their own biases and apply their learnings to real-world scenarios.

# Presenter

Headshot of Phoebe Lee. She is facing the camera and smiling. In the background, nutrition posters are visible.

 

Phoebe Lee, RD, is a weight-inclusive community dietitian at Black Creek Community Health Centre. 

 

Details
Friday, October 25, 2024 - 12:00
12-1 pm
Cost: 
Free
Internal/External: 
Alliance Event
Event Type: 
Learning Events
Register here
Location
Webinar

Ask an Expert: Culturally-Driven Health Communications

This virtual event is hosted by the Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers.

Join the Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers and Syreeta Wilkins, Communications Strategist, from the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants & Migrants (NRC-RIM) for a Q&A session about culturally-driven health communications!

This session will be an informal, discussion format. There will be an opportunity for participants to ask Syreeta Wilkins any questions they have about health communications. Syreeta will also give participants a tour of NRC-RIM’s website. Please submit your questions ahead of time through the registration form or by emailing sarah@refugeesociety.org

Spaces are limited. Preference will be given to providers working with ORR-eligible populations. Register here and you will receive a confirmation email if there is space available.

# Presenter

Syreeta is the communications strategist for the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants and Migrants (NRC-RIM), where she manages the communications efforts for the center and leads the creation and dissemination of health communications materials. She has more than a decade of experience in strategic communications, specializing in internal communications, digital media, and diverse and multilingual communities. Before joining the team at NRC-RIM, she led communications for K-12 public schools.

Syreeta is currently pursuing a master’s in public health at the University of Minnesota, where she hopes to focus on immigrant and refugee children's health. She holds a master’s degree in linguistics from New York University, where she explored socioeconomic influences on Spanish-speaking immigrants' speech patterns.

 

Details
Wednesday, August 28, 2024 - 10:30
1:00 - 2:00 pm
Cost: 
Free
Internal/External: 
Community Event
Event Type: 
Learning Events
Register here
Location

Éliminer l'accès aux soins et programmes vitaux de réduction des méfaits aura des coûts élevés pour les familles de l'Ontario – y compris plus de décès dus à des drogues toxiques et des coûts accrus pour notre système de santé

Date: 
Wednesday, August 21, 2024

L'annonce faite aujourd'hui par le gouvernement de l'Ontario de fermer 10 sites de Services de Consommation et de Traitement (CTS), dont sept sont intégrés dans des Centres de Santé Communautaire à travers l'Ontario, est extrêmement décevante. Cette décision entraînera la disparition de services et de programmes vitaux à un moment où ils sont le plus nécessaires. Elle signifie également que de nombreuses personnes perdront la vie dans les mois et années à venir, en raison d'empoisonnements mortels et évitables. Des mères, des fils, des filles, des pères, des oncles, des cousins, des amis, des collègues disparaîtront à jamais de la vie de leurs proches à cause de ce changement de politique soudain. Cependant, cette décision ne mettra pas fin à la crise des empoisonnements aux drogues en Ontario, ni aux crises de santé mentale qui touchent les jeunes, les seniors et d'autres groupes démographiques.

En termes simples, la suppression de services et programmes de réduction des méfaits, qui ont fait leurs preuves et qui sont accessibles à tous, entraînera davantage de décès, une augmentation de la consommation publique de drogues, et des charges plus lourdes et plus complexes pour les services d'urgence, pour notre personnel médical d'urgence, pour la police et autres forces de l'ordre, pour les hôpitaux, et pour les quartiers – tous déjà soumis à une pression plus forte qu'ils ne peuvent supporter de manière durable ou saine.

Si les organisations de santé communautaire ne peuvent pas rencontrer les personnes en difficulté là où elles se trouvent, elles n'auront pas la capacité d'offrir de l'aide – cette décision rend inaccessibles les solutions dont les gens ont besoin. Nous devons augmenter, et non diminuer, l'accès aux services. Sans plus d'aide, nous verrons les communautés se dégrader davantage, avec les maladies mentales d'aujourd'hui et les traumatismes non traités devenant les comportements désespérés et les urgences de demain.

Renforcer la criminalisation renforce la stigmatisation, la discrimination et les inégalités en matière de santé. Supprimer les programmes d'échange de seringues propres, considérés comme une référence mondiale pour la prévention de la propagation de maladies graves (et coûteuses), augmentera leur propagation, aggravera la santé publique et érodera la confiance fragile dans les prestataires de santé communautaire, tout en coûtant plus cher aux contribuables de l'Ontario, sans résultats positifs.

La réduction des méfaits fait partie intégrante du continuum de soins visant à maintenir la sécurité des communautés. Accuser ces approches de soins fondées sur des preuves pour la crise actuelle est totalement injustifié et risque de nuire aux communautés qui ont désespérément besoin de soutien, maintenant et à l'avenir.

Les taux croissants de l'itinérance et de personnes en situation de logement précaire, l'approvisionnement en drogues toxiques, et une épidémie de santé mentale, d'addictions et de traumatismes non traités déchirent le tissu de la vie communautaire à travers l'Ontario. Nous convenons fermement avec le gouvernement de l'Ontario que davantage doit être fait. Cependant, la voie à suivre n'est pas un retour à la stigmatisation, à la criminalisation des maladies et des addictions, ni au retrait des soutiens vitaux qui aident à sauver des vies.

Nous appelons le gouvernement de l'Ontario à reconsidérer immédiatement cette décision, et le Ministère de la Santé à collaborer avec les organisations de sites CTS, les chercheurs cliniciens, les communautés et les prestataires de santé communautaire, ainsi que les partenaires en santé mentale et en addictions, pour créer les nouveaux Carrefours d’aide aux sans-abri et de lutte contre les dépendances (HART), qui incluent l'intégralité du continuum des soins en matière d'addiction, y compris les services de réduction des méfaits. Comme nos partenaires, nous croyons qu'il y a une opportunité de construire quelque chose de mieux, qui offre le spectre complet des services dont les gens ont besoin, de la réduction des méfaits à la gestion du sevrage, en passant par le traitement et le conseil.

Nous sommes prêts à contribuer à la résolution de cette crise avec les ressources nécessaires – tant par un financement adéquat pour répondre à la situation, que par l’utilisation d’outils cliniques éprouvés, dont l'efficacité pour sauver des vies a été démontrée au fil des années.

Eliminating access to vital harm reduction care and programs will have high costs for Ontario families – including more deaths due to toxic drugs + increased costs to our health system

Date: 
Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Today’s announcement by the Ontario government to close 10 Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) sites, seven of which are embedded within Community Health Centres across Ontario, is hugely disappointing. This decision means vitally needed services and programs will disappear at a time when they’re needed most. It means that people will disappear in far greater numbers in months and years ahead, from fatal and avoidable poisonings. Moms, sons, daughters, dads, uncles, cousins, friends, colleagues will disappear from people’s lives forever with this sudden policy change. This decision, however, will not lead Ontario to the disappearance of the drug poisoning crisis, or to ending the mental health crises seen among youth, seniors and other demographics. 

Simply put, removing proven low-barrier and harm reducing services and programs will lead to more people dying, more public drug use, and higher and more complex burdens for emergency rooms, for our emergency medical services personnel, for police and other law enforcement, for hospitals, for neighbourhoods – all of which are already under more stress than they can sustainably or healthily withstand. 

If community health organizations cannot meet people who are struggling where they’re at, they will not have the capacity to offer help – this decision puts the very solutions people need, out of reach. We need to be increasing, not decreasing access. Without more help, we will see communities degraded further, with today’s mental illnesses and untreated traumas become tomorrow’s desperate behaviour and emergencies. 

Reinforcing criminalization reinforces stigmatization, discrimination and health inequities. Removing clean needle exchange programs, considered a gold standard worldwide for preventing the spread of serious (and costly) diseases, will increase their spread, make public health worse, and degrade fragile trust in community health providers, while costing taxpayers in Ontario more money, without positive results. 

Harm reduction is a part of the continuum for helping to keep communities safe. Blaming these evidence-based approaches to care for the current crisis is outright wrong, and risks harming communities who desperately need support now and into the future.

Rising rates of homelessness and precariously housed people, a toxic drug supply, and an epidemic of mental health, addictions and unaddressed trauma are tearing at the fabric of community life across Ontario. We firmly agree with the Government of Ontario that more needs to be done. But the way forward is not a return to stigmatization, to criminalizing illnesses and addiction, or withdraw vital supports that help to save lives.

We call on the Ontario government to immediately reconsider this decision, and for the Ministry of Health to work with CTS site organizations, clinician researchers, communities and community health providers, and mental health and addictions partners to work and addictions sector to create the newly proposed Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs that include the full continuum of addictions care, including harm reduction services. Like our partners, we believe there is an opportunity to build something better, which offers the full spectrum of services people need, from harm reduction to withdrawal management, treatment and counselling.

We’re ready to help address this crisis with the right resources – both the funding levels to address the crisis, but also with proven, clinical tools that we know from years of experience are effective to help save lives.

Health Effects of E-Cigarette Use: Project VECTOR Findings and Recommendations

This webinar is presented by the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools.

In this webinar, Dr. Peter Selby will describe the methodology of Project VECTOR (Vaping and Electronic Cigarette Toxicity Overview and Recommendations) and share recommendations and resources for people who use or are thinking of using-e-cigarettes. In response to increased prevalence of vaping among Canadians, the Innovation, Nicotine and Tobacco, Research, Education Programming, Implementation and Digital Health Lab (INTREPID Lab) at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has released a new toolkit describing the health impacts of e-cigarettes across four key areas: cancer, cardiovascular health, dependence, and respiratory health. The VECTOR toolkit includes recommendations and guidance resources to inform decision-making for both healthcare practitioners and people who either use or are thinking of using e-cigarettes. Webinar attendees will be able to apply these resources through a case study activity.

Details
Thursday, September 12, 2024 - 09:45
1:00 - 2:30 pm
Cost: 
Free
Internal/External: 
Community Event
Event Type: 
Learning Events
Register here
Location

Finance Professional Learning Event

This in-person event is hosted by the Alliance and is intended for our members only. This is the third of three consecutive full-day learning events. 

# Description: 

A day of learning, networking, and exchanging knowledge, and collectively strategizing about financial management in community primary health care. The day will feature a mix of keynote and panel presentations as well as facilitate table conversations in a “world café” format for more intimate and in-depth discussions.

An early bird registration rate of $250 per person is in effect until September 13. After that, remaining spaces will be available for $275 per person.

Register here. 

# Who should attend: 

  • Staff that work with data at their organizations, 
  • Data Management Coordinators (or equivalent position), 
  • Data Analysts.

# Venue and Accommodations:

The event will be held at the Sheraton Toronto Parkway North in Richmond Hill.

The Alliance has negotiated a group rate for a limited number of hotel rooms at a discounted rate of $199+ taxes and fees. 

In order to secure the discounted rate, rooms must be booked by Monday October 14, 2024. The number of discounted rooms is limited, and rooms are available on a first-come first-served basis. 

Reserve your room here by October 14.

 

Details
Thursday, November 7, 2024 - 09:00
Internal/External: 
Alliance Event
Event Type: 
Learning Events
Register here
Location
Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel & Conference Centre
600 Hwy 7
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1B2
PDF icon Alliance Professional Learning Events Fall 2024.pdf

Leverage Your Data to Make Informed Decisions and Improve Performance

This in-person event is hosted by the Alliance and is intended for our members only. This is the second of three consecutive full-day learning events. 

# Description: 

Asking questions is the foundation for using data to drive decisions that improve both operations and clinical care. This learning event will be a mix of plenary sessions and hands-on experiences to collaboratively develop good questions and effectively use data to answer them. After attending this day, you will be better equipped to work together at your organization to leverage your data to drive performance and improvement.

An early bird registration rate of $250 per person is in effect until September 13. After that, remaining spaces will be available for $275 per person.

Register here for the event.

# Who should attend: 

  • Clinical Leads
  • Operational Managers
  • Data Management Coordinators (or equivalent position)
  • Data Analysts
  • QI Leads 
  • Those who use data for decision-making.

# Venue and Accommodations:

The event will be held at the Sheraton Toronto Parkway North in Richmond Hill.

The Alliance has negotiated a group rate for a limited number of hotel rooms at a discounted rate of $199+ taxes and fees. 

In order to secure the discounted rate, rooms must be booked by Monday October 14, 2024. The number of discounted rooms is limited, and rooms are available on a first-come first-served basis. 

Reserve your room here by October 14.

 

Details
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 - 09:00
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Internal/External: 
Alliance Event
Event Type: 
Learning Events
Register here
Location
Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel & Conference Centre
600 Hwy 7
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1B2
PDF icon Alliance Professional Learning Events Fall 2024.pdf

Data Management Coordinators PLE

This in-person event is hosted by the Alliance and is intended for our members only. This is the first of three consecutive full-day learning events. 

# Description: 

This day will be a mix of plenary and concurrent sessions focusing on data and how it is being used. We will be trying a new format this year that includes a ‘World Café’ that allows participants to join multiple tables to hear and discuss different items of interest. This is an opportunity for you to network with your colleagues from across the province.

An early bird registration rate of $250 per person is in effect until September 13. After that, remaining spaces will be available for $275 per person.

Register here. 

# Who should attend: 

  • Staff that work with data at their organizations, 
  • Data Management Coordinators (or equivalent position), 
  • Data Analysts.

# Venue and Accommodations:

The event will be held at the Sheraton Toronto Parkway North in Richmond Hill.

The Alliance has negotiated a group rate for a limited number of hotel rooms at a discounted rate of $199+ taxes and fees. 

In order to secure the discounted rate, rooms must be booked by Monday October 14, 2024. The number of discounted rooms is limited, and rooms are available on a first-come first-served basis. 

Reserve your room here by October 14.

 

Details
Tuesday, November 5, 2024 - 09:00
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Cost: 
$250+
Internal/External: 
Alliance Event
Event Type: 
Learning Events
Register here
Location
Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel & Conference Centre
600 Hwy 7
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1B2
PDF icon Alliance Professional Learning Events Fall 2024.pdf

Migration as a Determinant for Mental Health: Lessons Learned from Community-Based Research

This webinar is presented by the National Newcomer Navigation Network (N4)

A newcomer to Canada, whether an immigrant or a refugee, experiences many stressors when relocating to a new home. The experience is taxing on one’s mental health, and being resilient is just one step in the equation. Resources and supports must also be available to assist newcomers in managing the trauma that can occur in the immigration process. Shifts in family dynamics, loss of connection and loneliness, and the difference between expectations and reality can all take a toll on a newcomer’s well-being. As professionals working with newcomers, it is of utmost importance that intersectoral collaborations are used to promote our collective social responsibility so that newcomers can navigate the complexities of health and social care resources, address resource gaps, and promote mental health. Join us on October 9, 2024, from 3 to 4 pm EST as we host Nancy Clark, Associate Professor of Nursing at the University of Victoria, and Geoffrey Maina, Associate Professor of Nursing at the University of Saskatchewan, as we hear about case studies from two community-based research projects, the lessons learned about intersectoral collaborations, and project implications for bridging knowledge to action to promote newcomer mental health.

# Learning Objectives:

  • Gain a greater understanding of the healthy immigrant effect and its impact based on gender
  • Evaluate the dynamic shifts that can occur in newcomers and their families and its impact to mental health and well-being
  • Understand what can be done from one’s professional role to address the resources and supports necessary to help newcomers

# Speakers:

  • Nancy Clark, Associate Professor, Nursing, University of Victoria
  • Geoffrey Maina, Associate Professor, University of Saskatchewan
Details
Wednesday, October 9, 2024 - 15:15
3:00 - 4:00 pm
Cost: 
Free
Internal/External: 
Community Event
Event Type: 
Learning Events
Register here
Location

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the Field of Patient Safety

This webinar is presented by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)

The IHI Lucian Leape Institute, with generous support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, invites you to join the next free webinar on the impact of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) on patient safety. In this webinar, world renown safety experts will explore how generative artificial intelligence has the potential to transform the work of patient safety and quality professionals.
 

# Presenters

Kaveh Shojania, MD, is Professor and Vice Chair (Quality & Innovation) in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. His research has focused on identifying and further developing effective strategies for achieving improved healthcare quality. 

Robert M. Wachter, MD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

 
Details
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 - 16:00
4:00 - 5:00 pm
Cost: 
Free
Internal/External: 
Community Event
Event Type: 
Learning Events
Learn more and register here
Location