A Busy Week for Health Canada 

Health Canada launches fresh consultations on reducing tobacco consumption and issues a call for proposals to support its three-digit suicide prevention and emotional distress line. On that, and more, here is your Syntax Weekly Health Round-Up. 

On the Hill

• The House of Commons returned for the fall session on Monday, September 18, while the Senate returned on Tuesday, September 19.

Around Government 

• Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu celebrated the grand opening of the Isuarsivik Regional Recovery Centre in Kuujjuaq. The Isuarsivik Regional Recovery Centre provides recovery services to Nunavimmiut struggling with problematic substance use. Federal funding supported the construction of the facility that will help meet the growing needs of families across Nunavik through its 32 beds for users and their children, as well as 12 staff housing units.
• In recognition of World Alzheimer's Day, Health Minister Mark Holland released a statement calling for continued awareness about Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. In 2019, the federal government released Canada’s first national dementia strategy, which sets out three objectives: to prevent dementia, advance therapies and find a cure, and improve the quality of life of people living with dementia and their caregivers.

Around the Dominion

• The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is announcing the creation of regional well-being networks across the province. The well-being networks aim to improve well-being across many aspects, including physical, mental, social, economic, and environmental, by working with regional stakeholders to identify challenges and effectively deliver solutions. The province also released the Public Health Framework for Newfoundland and Labrador, which lays out the essential functions of public health, such as health protection, disease and injury prevention, health promotion, health surveillance and population health assessment, and emergency preparedness and response.
• Health PEI is creating a navigator program for children with complex needs and their families living on the Island. The need for this program was strongly demonstrated by a survey which showed more than one in six children under 18 on PEI have complex needs and an overwhelming majority of their families have difficulty accessing health services.
• Manitoba and Alberta each issued bulletins reminding residents that the respiratory virus season is expected to put demands on the healthcare system due to the spread of COVID-19, the flu, and other respiratory viruses. It is worth noting that Alberta’s release said nothing about vaccination, while Manitoba’s did.
• The Government of Saskatchewan announced that 16 new doctors began practicing in rural areas this summer through the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment. The Government also announced grant funding of $250,000 to support seniors in maintaining independence in their own homes.