MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions

Yesterday, the federal government appointed MAP scientist Dr. Nav Persaud as the Chair of the new Committee of Experts to make recommendations on National Pharmacare. The group of experts will recommend options on how to operate and finance a national, universal, single-payer pharmacare program in Canada. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gca_rSaS Unity Health Toronto

At Staples, we believe everyone should have the opportunity to thrive. Through #EventheOdds and our partnership with MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, we’re working to raise awareness of inequity and help build vibrant, healthy communities across Canada. Yesterday, we were proud to host Our Healthbox lead and MAP researcher, Dr. Sean B. Rourke, for a special Lunch and Learn session. He gave an update on his Healthbox ‘smart’ vending machines in the Maritimes – interactive dispensing machines that provide free health supplies in areas that need them, including free HIV self-tests. The Our Healthbox initiative is an example of the research-based and innovative programming Staples Canada funds through #EventheOdds and the impact our partnership with MAP has across the country. To learn more about our Even the Odds partnership with MAP, visit www.staples.ca/eventheodds

Congratulations to MAP scientist Dr. Mikaela D. Gabriel who has been awarded a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Women’s & Two-Spirit Mental Health & Homelessness! “This Canada Research Chair means a lot to me both professionally and personally,” shared Dr. Gabriel. “Mental health and housing are so intertwined, and it is really important for them to be understood and addressed together.” Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eNBN6Xic Unity Health Toronto St. Michael's Hospital

Congratulations to MAP director and scientist Dr. Stephen Hwang, who has been awarded a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Homelessness, Housing, & Health! “Being awarded a Canada Research Chair is a wonderful acknowledgement of the work my team and I are doing on homelessness and health,” Dr. Hwang shared. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/er2Pg_g8 Unity Health Toronto St. Michael's Hospital

Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation new report outlines the impacts of supervised consumption services in Ontario. As a direct response to the provincial governments proposed legislation that would result in the forced closure of 10 sites. This report highlights the public health and safety impacts for our communities. Please take a minute to read and share. MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions Unity Health Toronto https://lnkd.in/gasbvyQJ

🚨🚨 New report out today from our team at the Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation: "Supervised Consumption Services in Ontario: Evidence and Recommendations" 🚨🚨 https://lnkd.in/gG7JhNwW We summarize the impacts of SCS on a myriad of outcomes including: 🏥 Reversing nearly 22,000 overdoses from March 2020-May 2024 📉 Decreased population-level overdose mortality in neighbourhoods surrounding SCS ✅ Increasing linkage to Hepatitis C testing and treatment 💉 Lowering public injecting among unhoused populations SCS are an essential part of our public health response to the toxic drug crisis in Canada. Please join us in advocating for a reversal of the decision to close several SCS within Toronto and across Ontario.

Congratulations to Drs. Claudia dos Santos, Mikaela Gabriel, Stephen Hwang and Dr. Andrea C. Tricco (she/her), who have been awarded prestigious Canada Research Chairs, and Dr. Sharmistha Mishra who has had her Canada Research Chair renewed! 👏 👏 👏   The Canada Research Chairs program supports and recognizes research excellence in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities, and social sciences. It aims to support highly-accomplished researchers and advance research that leads to groundbreaking discoveries and innovations. Unity Health Toronto is proud to support these researchers. Congratulations on the well-deserved recognition. Well done! Read more: https://lnkd.in/gynf2WvR

Dr. Ahmed Bayoumi, clinician scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital, says the planned closure of five supervised consumption sites in Toronto will mean hundreds of people will lose access and lead to a higher risk for overdoses. MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions https://lnkd.in/gD8gk48q  

Did you know that Houston, Texas, was successful in reducing homelessness by 60% over four years? On November 13, Mandy Chapman Semple (former Assistant to the Mayor for Homelessness Initiatives in Houston) will deliver the Annual Louis L. Odette Family Lecture to share learnings from the initiative that accomplished this. We will be joined by Counsellor Chris Moise and Gordon Tanner from the City of Toronto to discuss how we can apply from Houston’s experience to achieve a meaningful reduction in homelessness in Toronto. We hope you will join us! Learn more and register here: https://lnkd.in/gpWNtryf St. Michael's Foundation St. Michael's Hospital

A new study from St. Michael's Hospital researchers found hundreds of people will lose access to supervised consumption sites in Toronto when the province plans to close five of them next year. Dr. Ahmed Bayoumi, lead author and clinician scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital’s MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, says this could lead to an increase in public drug use, EMS calls, emergency department visits and hospital admissions for overdoses. The Canadian Press https://lnkd.in/epSv8Xn5