Statement from the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, Dr. Theresa Tam, on the current measles outbreak and vaccine hesitancy
Published on Wednesday, 13 March, 2019
OTTAWA, ON - As Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, I am very concerned to see vaccine-preventable diseases, particularly those as serious and highly contagious as measles, making a comeback in Canada and around the globe. From my perspective, even one child dying of measles is unacceptable.
In an era where, thanks to the success of vaccines, we are no longer familiar with these dangerous illnesses, some parents have come to fear the prevention more than the disease.
Seeds of doubt are often planted by misleading, or worse, entirely false information being spread in campaigns that target parents on social media and the internet. It is no wonder some parents are confused and concerned.
Parents want only the best for their children, always. Some parents may question, hesitate or delay vaccinating their children for a variety of reasons, but they all want to protect their children from harm.
Yet over the past few weeks, we have heard Canadian parents speak to the media about watching their children suffer through a vaccine-preventable disease. Some have spoken of difficult recoveries that have taken weeks or months, sometimes leaving permanent disabilities, and heartbreakingly, some have spoken about losing their children.
Sadly, as a paediatric infectious disease specialist, I have witnessed the devastating effects of vaccine preventable diseases on the lives of children and their families.
Healthcare providers are on the front lines of this battle between truth and misinformation. We must support parents as they tease apart fact from fiction. How we talk to parents who have questions about vaccines can have a direct effect on improving their confidence and supporting them in getting their children vaccinated.
I urge my fellow healthcare provider colleagues to take the time to answer the questions of concerned parents, and in turn, I urge parents and guardians to ask questions and seek out trusted and reliable sources of information to help guide them. To that end, I am including links to some top Canadian websites providing credible information on vaccines.
Keeping Canadians, especially our children, healthy and free from disease is our shared priority.
In the weeks and months ahead, I will work with partners and stakeholders to continue to address the misinformation around vaccines. The health of our children and of our country deserves nothing less.
Dr. Theresa Tam
Chief Public Health Officer of Canada
Notice of 2019 AGM and Call for Resolutions
Published on Monday, 28 January, 2019
The Community Health Nurses of Canada (CHNC) will be holding our Annual General Meeting on Monday, May 27, 2019 in conjunction with National Community Health Nursing Conference in Saint John, NB.
Details to be posted with the agenda at a later date.
Call for Resolutions
Please submit any resolutions on or before March 31, 2019 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time to the Governance Standing Committee at ed.chnc@gmail.com. For Resolution Guidelines click here.
Canada's New Food Guide Launched
Published on Thursday, 24 January, 2019
Federal Minister of Health Ginette Petitpas Taylor has launched the new Canada’s Food Guide.
The Food Guide has been a trusted source of information for Canadians for more than 75 years but had not been updated in more than a decade. The new version is about more than what we eat; it’s also about how we eat. The new food guide encourages Canadians to be more mindful of their eating habits, to cook healthy food at home, and to eat meals with others. It also highlights that culture and tradition are an important part of healthy eating. https://food-guide.canada.ca/en
Measuring low income and Canada's Official Poverty Line Consultation
Published on Monday, 14 January, 2019
Recently, the Government of Canada announced that the Market Basket Measure (MBM) will be used as Canada's Official Poverty Line. Statistics Canada is currently conducting a comprehensive review of the MBM.
The MBM is a measure of low income which is based on the cost of a basket of goods and services that individuals and families require to meet their basic needs and achieve a modest standard of living. Wherever individuals and families are living across the country, if they cannot afford the cost of this basket of goods and services in their particular community, they will be considered to be living below Canada's Official Poverty Line.
By participating in this consultation, you will be supporting Statistics Canada's ability to accurately measure low income and poverty.
MAID Reports Released
Published on Monday, 14 January, 2019
The Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) has released three reports on requests for medical assistance in dying (MAID), the result of an independent Expert Panel review conducted at the request of the federal government. The reports were released following their tabling in Parliament in December.The CCA was asked to examine three particularly complex types of requests for MAID that were identified for further review and study in the legislation passed by Parliament in 2016: requests by mature minors, advance requests, and requests where a mental disorder is the sole underlying medical condition.
The Expert Panel’s final reports reflect a broad range of knowledge, experience, and perspective from healthcare professions, diverse academic disciplines, advocacy groups, and jurisdictions where MAID is permitted. They gathered and interpreted, with the sensitivity required of the subject, the available evidence, and explored the societal, clinical, legal, and practical implications and issues associated with both permitting and prohibiting MAID in the three topic areas.
The CCA has a well-established approach for convening experts and assessing evidence to inform public policy development in Canada. It brought together a multidisciplinary expert panel of 43 individuals with expertise, knowledge and leadership in a range of disciplines including law, medicine, nursing, bioethics, social sciences, and health sciences, among others.
The CCA is a not-for-profit, independent, and non-partisan organization. The reports provide evidence to inform dialogue and decision-making and do not make recommendations about specific laws, practices, or cases.
Visit the website to download the reports.
National Palliative Care Framework
Published on Thursday, 10 January, 2019
The Honourable Ginette Pettitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, has tabled the Framework on Palliative Care in Canada in Parliament. The Framework can be found in English at: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-care-system/reports-publications/palliative-care/framework-palliative-care-canada.html and in French at : https://www.canada.ca/fr/sante-canada/services/systeme-soins-sante/rapports-publications/soins-palliatifs/cadre-soins-palliatifs-canada.html.
The next steps in advancing improved access to palliative care: Departmental officials will develop a Framework implementation plan, which will aim to action the guiding principles and goals reflected in the Framework. Health Canada will also establish the Office of Palliative Care to provide high level coordination of palliative care activities going forward.
Furthermore, Health Canada will continue to work with National Indigenous Organizations to explore the development of Indigenous-led engagement processes toward the development of a distinctions-based palliative care framework for Indigenous Peoples. These activities will start the process of embodying the principles and goals of the Framework on Palliative Care in Canada into measurable action so as to support improved access to palliative care for all Canadians.
Introducing the Opioids Clinical Primer
Published on Wednesday, 7 November, 2018
- Helping clinicians develop strategies for safer opioid prescribing
- Increasing awareness of opioid use disorder and the availability of evidence-based treatment
- Facilitating access to naloxone
- Educating regarding harm reduction
- Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care: Principles of Assessment and Management
- Managing Patients with Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care with Buprenorphine
- Safer Opioid Prescribing Skills
- Mental Health, Chronic Pain, and Substance Use: Addressing the Connections
- Strategies for Managing Chronic Pain: Moving Beyond Opioids
- Treating Opioid Use Disorder: Initiating Buprenorphine in Primary Care, ED and Inpatient Settings
New Breastfeeding Resources
Published on Thursday, 18 October, 2018
During World Breastfeeding Week in Canada 2018 the Public Health Agency of Canada released Chapter 6: Breastfeeding of theFamily-Centred Maternity and Newborn Care: National Guidelines. The Guidelines are dedicated to improving and creating consistency in maternal and newborn health and to inform evidence based practice across Canada. The aim of the guidelines is to positively impact health from preconception to postpartum, and throughout the life course of children, women and families.
Released are:
· Chapter 6: Breastfeeding
o Factsheet: Protecting, Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding: Canadian Recommendation and the Ten Steps To Successful Breastfeeding
o Infographic: Breastfeeding in Canada
You can access the PDFs of the chapter and related factsheet/infographic online at:https://www.canada.ca/en/
Over the next two years the Public Health Agency of Canada will be releasing the remaining chapters.
Resources about Cannabis
Published on Friday, 12 October, 2018
Starting on October 17, 2018, the poster and postcard will also be available for download on the Government of Canada webpages dedicated to cannabis public education here:
English: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/drugs-health-products/cannabis-10-ways-reduce-risks.html
French: https://www.canada.ca/fr/sante-publique/services/publications/medicaments-et-produits-sante/cannabis-10-facons-reduire-risques.html
· English Youth LRCUG: http://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/guides-and-publications/lrcug-for-youth (French will be available soon)
· English Brochure: http://www.camh.ca/-/media/files/pdfs---reports-and-books---research/canadas-lower-risk-guidelines-cannabis-pdf.pdf
· French Brochure: https://www.camh.ca/-/media/files/pdfs---reports-and-books---research/canadas-lower-risk-guidelines-cannabis-fr.pdf
In the coming weeks an Evidence Summary of the LRCUG to provide a more detailed reference tool to health professionals will be available.
CNA has also made resources available for nurses and others.