NewsToGo
OPDI NewsToGo Issue #262 - July 9, 2010
1. Mental Health Peer Support Workers To Be Trained in Diabetes Prevention and Self-Management (repeat)
Please refer to the attached press release describing this project which is a collaboration of CMHA, Ontario Division, OPDI, and PCSLL (Provincial Consumer/Survivor LHIN Leads).
Diabetes_Prevention_Press_Release.pdf
2. “Creating Together” Officially Launched (repeat)
The Ontario Mental Health and Addictions Knowledge Exchange Network (OMHAKEN) is leading a province-wide consultation to co-create a research agenda for the next few years. Please view the enclosed press release for full details.
Creating_Together_Announcement.pdf
MP_2010_Poster_Draft_MPOCT_July_2010.pdf
SURVIVOR_SHOWCASE_POSTER_July_15_2010_(2).pdf
Mad_Pride_Week_listings_2010.pdf
4. News Story on Zyprexa Class Action Lawsuit
5. MHCC Update
The Mental Health Commission of Canada has published its Summer 2010 issue which is available online at:
6. Schizophrenia Societies Key Message Survey
The Schizophrenia Society of Canada Education and Advocacy Committee has created a survey on Common Key Messages. The results of this survey will help define the key messages of the Schizophrenia as a whole. Please circulate this throughout your network. Completing the survey on-line is ideal (fast and easy collection) but we are also including a PDF version. Please complete by July 15th 2010. However, feel free to print this out and ask for it
to be returned by mail to Neasa Martin, 15 Wayland Ave. Toronto, ON M4E 3C6.
The survey link is: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ssckeymessagesurvey
Thank you in advance for your support on this important project.
7. Vienna Declaration Calls for Scientific Evidence into Illicit Drug Policies
28 June 2010 [Vienna, Austria] – The International AIDS Society, the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy and the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS today launched a global drive for signatories to the Vienna Declaration, a statement seeking to improve community health and safety by calling for the incorporation of scientific evidence into illicit drug policies. The Vienna Declaration is the official declaration of the XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010), the biennial meeting of more than 20,000 HIV professionals, taking place in Vienna, Austria from 18 to 23 July 2010.
The Vienna Declaration describes the known harms of conventional “war on drugs” approaches and states: “The criminalisation of illicit drug users is fuelling the HIV epidemic and has resulted in overwhelmingly negative health and social consequences. A full policy reorientation is needed. … Reorienting drug policies towards evidence-based approaches that respect, protect and fulfill human rights has the potential to reduce harms deriving from current policies and would allow for the redirection of the vast financial resources towards where they are needed most: implementing and evaluating evidence-based prevention, regulatory, treatment and harm reduction interventions.”
The Vienna Declaration calls on governments and international organizations, including the United Nations, to take a number of steps, including:
• Undertake a transparent review the effectiveness of current drug policies;
• Implement and evaluate a science-based public health approach to address the harms stemming from illicit drug use;
• Scale up evidence-based drug dependence treatment options;
• Abolish ineffective compulsory drug treatment centres that violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and
• Unequivocally endorse and scale up funding for the drug treatment and harm reduction measures endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations.
The Declaration also calls for the meaningful involvement of people who use drugs in developing, monitoring and implementing services and policies that affect their lives.
Again, the web address for the Vienna Declaration is http://www.viennadeclaration.com/.
For a backgrounder on this topic, please refer to:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/story_print.html?id=3210808&sponsor
8. Pat Capponi Blogs on the G20 Summit
Her two most recent entries can be found here:
http://thestar.blogs.com/yourcitymycity/author-pat-capponi/
9. Sandi Naiman Blogs with Dr. Grohol’s Psychcentral.com
Her latest entry deals with peer support:
http://blogs.psychcentral.com/coming-out-crazy/2010/06/i-need-you-part-two/#more-3076
10. Helmut Braun Award (Waterloo Region – Deadline July 30th)
The Helmut Braun memorial award was established in 2001 in memory of Helmut Braun, a local social activist, community researcher and an advocate for the rights of people with mental health and other life struggles. The fund contributes to the cost of post-secondary education for a student pursuing studies in:
• Social justice, peace and conflict resolution
• Community development
• Cross-cultural issues
• Community research and social change
Awards will be given yearly to one or two students in need of financial assistance. Each award will range between $1000 - $2000. The deadline for this year is July 30, 2010. More information about the award and application process is available at:
http://www.communitybasedresearch.ca/Page/View/Yearly_Scholarship_Award.html
11. National Network for Mental Health Executive Director Position
The full job posting is attached.
12. CRCT has Two Job Postings Available (Toronto Area)
Please see the attached ads for a housing support worker and an administrative assistant.
======================================================================
If you have any ideas, contributions, or comments, please don’t hesitate to share them with us. E-mail (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). For those who would like to subscribe to this e-mail update, please e-mail (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Thanks for reading!
The Staff of OPDI
NewsToGo is OPDI’s e-mail update providing timely and meaningful information to its stakeholders. The ideas expressed are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of OPDI. We welcome your submissions; please direct them to (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Preference will be given to material which directly relates to OPDI member affiliates and issues of concern to consumer/survivors throughout Ontario. We reserve the right to edit the length and style of all materials submitted. The current and back issues of NewsToGo can be found at http://www.opdi.org.
Page 1 of 1 pages
member login