On World Suicide Prevention Day, Island Health mental health and injury prevention experts are encouraging everyone to break the silence surrounding suicide and to make space for help and hope.
Grief is a powerful and unifying force — one felt deeply by families, care providers, and communities across the region. On this International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD), Island Health honours those who carry this grief by remembering the spouses, partners, children, parents, siblings, extended family members, friends, coworkers, and clients whose lives have been lost to toxic drug poisoning.
Nanaimo resident Gretchen Brown recalled finding out her only son died of a toxic drug overdose four years ago.
We invite anyone who has been impacted by the toxic drug crisis to remember their loved ones at in-person or digital interactive memorials as a part of International Overdose Awareness Day.
Summer is here, ushering in the unofficial festival season. Island Health has tips for festival fun to help keep the vibes high and risks low.
Saanich resident Teri Kerr asked herself one question “who do I want to be as a Gramma?”, which set off a series of healthy habits she never imagined she would take up.
The Island Health’s 2024 Chief Medical Health Officer report focuses on the health harms associated with the use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol, illegally manufactured opioids, tobacco and cannabis.
For Beth Haywood, connection was more than support—it was survival. Now six years sober and a peer coordinator with Island Health, she credits the life-changing relationships she made along the way as the cornerstone of her recovery.
International Overdose Awareness Day is the world’s largest annual campaign to prevent toxic drug poisonings, and remember, without stigma, those who have died.
Starting on September 4, Westshore residents will have improved access to mental health and substance use support services with the opening of the new Westshore Mental Health and Substance Use Hub.
Island Health has recognized three Nanaimo youth for their efforts to promote harm reduction awareness and training at their school, Learning Alternatives.