Author: Samira Prasad

In this article featured on the front page of the Toronto Star, Dr. Archna Gupta spoke about a recent study published in CMAJ that found that 13 per cent of Ontarians attached to a family doctor live more than 30 kilometres away from their physician. The study also found that these patients were more likely to use the emergency department for non-urgent reasons and to have fewer family doctor visits, and were less likely to have preventive screening for cancer.

“When we talk about the primary care crisis, we often focus on patients who don’t have a family doctor,” said said Dr. Gupta.

A new CMAJ report is highlighting the inadequate efforts to address opioid use among adolescents in Canada, stating that existing services need to be tailored to better meet the needs of young people.

A second CMAJ report co-authored by Dr. Tara Gomes gives insight into recent opioid-prescribing trends, showing that dispensing of opioids has decreased. Dr. Gomes shared with The Globe and Mail that while this is a positive trend, the recent also showed the concerning element of some practitioners outright refusing to prescribe opioids all together.

“Opioids have a place in clinical practice, but it’s really about making sure that when they are accessed, it’s required that people have tried other alternatives, and that they’re prescribed as low dose and short a time period as possible,” Dr. Gomes said.

Dr. Sean Rourke spoke with The Lethbridge Herald about the latest Healthbox launch in the Piikani Nation in Alberta. The free vending machines contain HIV self-tests, drug testing strips, pregnancy tests and socks and mittens.

“This offers an opportunity for people to come and have a low barrier way of getting things they need to take care of themselves, when it’s best for them and also to get it without judgement and stigma,” said Dr. Rourke.

This is Alberta’s second Healthbox, with the other one located in Siksika.

In contrast to the haste and investment the federal government has put behind mining projects, universal pharmacare has been approached cautiously and progressed slowly. MAP scientist and Canada Research Chair in Health Justice Dr. Nav Persaud spoke with the Toronto Star about the benefits universal pharmacare stands to provide, including economical development.

MAP scientist Dr. Sean Rourke spoke with the Canadian Press about the AIDS Committee of Toronto’s decision to close after 42 years amid soaring cases of HIV in Canada.

“Everybody should have a door that they can open for their care and support and treatment,” he said.

Dr. Rourke has spearheaded projects to change the way people across Canada access HIV testing.

MAP’s Navigator program pairs hospital patients who are homeless with an outreach counsellor—a “Navigator.” The Navigator gets to know the patient and connects them with the health and social support they need to break cycles of homelessness and poor health, and to move forward in securing housing that works for them.

Navigators April Aleman and Fred Ellerington, along with project lead Dr. Stephen Hwang, spoke with the Canadian Press about how the program came to be and what their day-to-day can look like.

The program started at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, and thanks to the Even the Odds partnership with Staples Canada, has expanded to St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, increasing the program’s reach to over 1000 patients served to date. The program will be launching at the University of Montreal Hospital Centre later this year.

Donovan Vincent, Public Editor for the Toronto Star spoke with MAP scientist Dr. Dan Werb as part of this op-ed on following the opioid toxicity crisis in Toronto. The article also explains the role of MAP’s Drug Checking Service, led by Karen McDonald, and the role it plays in monitoring the makeup of street drugs in the city.

Dr. Dan Werb spoke with CBC News about the reasons that could be behind the recent 17 per cent decrease in opioid overdose deaths in Canada. He notes that despite the decline, opioid toxicity still killed over 7000 people in the past year, highlighting the need for a regulated drug supply.

MAP’s Dan Werb and Hayley Thompson spoke with the Toronto Star about the recently observed decline in opioid overdose deaths in Toronto. The trend is believed to be the result of decreased potency in the supply of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Dr. Werb notes that while the relative reduction in fentanyl potency is encouraging, the volatility of the unregulated drug supply means “that could change in a minute”.

Dr. Sean Rourke, Our Healthbox lead, recently spoke with CBC following the launch of the first Healthboxes in the Northwest Territories. Two machines are currently operating, with plans to add more this fall.