Category: Advocacy, Policy, Public Health

Guest Blog: Researching the effects of surveillance on women living with HIV

Posted On: Thursday, October 1st, 2015

While media headlines focus on individuals prosecuted for alleged HIV non-disclosure, we know that the impacts of criminalizing HIV non-disclosure go far beyond those who are formally charged. I was therefore delighted to learn in April that our 3-year community-based research (CBR) proposal to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research had been approved. Titled “Women… Read more »

Wernicke–Korsakoff Syndrome Fact Sheet

Posted On: Monday, July 27th, 2015

Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome (WKS), also called wet brain, is a very dangerous and under-diagnosed condition most commonly seen in in people who chronically misuse alcohol.     Korsakoff’s psychosis, and alcoholic encephalopathy is the combined presence of Wernicke’s encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. Due to the close relationship between these two disorders, people suffering from both are… Read more »

Mark your Calendars: Next Mental Health, Substance Use and HIV/HCV Community of Practice

Posted On: Thursday, June 4th, 2015

When: Friday, June 26 at 10-11 am PST. If you are interested in joining the meeting, please register here: https://stacyl.clickmeeting.com/CoP_June_26/register If this is your first time joining the CoP, please send me an email and I can give you a quick overview of how the CoP works and  some tips on how to use the technology most… Read more »

When Grief Comes to Work

Posted On: Thursday, June 4th, 2015

                For everyone that missed PAN’s  February Skills Building Conference, please check out this resource developed by Yvette Perrault. Find the Link to the document by clicking here: When Grief Comes to Work_e          

CATIE News – Implementing a screening program for domestic abuse

Posted On: Thursday, April 23rd, 2015

Thanks to the availability of potent combination anti-HIV therapy (commonly called ART or HAART), many people with HIV are living longer in high-income countries such as Canada. As a result, researchers in the HIV field are able to explore a range of different issues in the lives of this population. One such issue is intimate… Read more »

Mental Health First Aid

Posted On: Thursday, April 9th, 2015

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is the help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Just as physical first aid is administered to an injured person before medical treatment can be obtained, MHFA is given until appropriate treatment is found or until the crisis is resolved. Originally… Read more »

Join in the next Community of Practice for Mental Health, Substance Use and HIV/HCV!

Posted On: Thursday, April 9th, 2015

On April 24, 2015 at 10-11 am, PAN will be hosting our next monthly Community of Practice meeting. If you are interested in joining an ongoing supportive group for Frontline Workers interested in mental health and substance use- this is the place to meet! To register, please click on this link: https://stacyl.clickmeeting.com/CoP_April_24/register Save your email confirmation-… Read more »

5 Questions with Carlene Dingwall, PAN’s Mental Health/Substance Use & HCV Program Manager

Posted On: Wednesday, February 25th, 2015

Carlene is a former staff member of PAN. Carlene Dingwall is the coordinator of PAN’s Mental Health, Substance Use and HIV/HCV committee. She is currently living in Kelowna (for a couple of more months) before she heads back to the north. She is currently finishing an interdisciplinary PhD focused on intergenerational trauma and healing.  … Read more »

Training Opportunity: Indigenous Cultural Competency – Mental Health Focus

Posted On: Wednesday, February 11th, 2015

It is widely recognized that while only seven per cent (7%) of British Columbians are Aboriginal, Aboriginal people comprise roughly 25% of all British Columbians who use mental health and substance use services. Service providers who are less attuned to Indigenous cultural and history, or their own preconceptions, may be at a disadvantage to forming… Read more »

Mental Health Indicators: Report

Posted On: Wednesday, February 11th, 2015

  In 2012, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) released Changing Directions, Changing Lives: The Mental Health Strategy for Canada. In order to build Canada’s capacity to promote mental health and improve the lives of people living with mental health problems and mental illnesses, the Strategy identified the need for better data collection through… Read more »