Compassionate care for our most vulnerable

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/02/2018 (3016 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For these first few months of 2018, and the end of 2017, I have been busy organizing town hall gatherings across our province on the topic of health care.

From as far north as Churchill to as far south as Boissevain, Manitobans tell me they want a caring and proactive health care system. One that invests in community-based services in order to help people be healthier.

Mental health and addictions have come up in many of our conversations. Addiction is a challenge I’ve had to overcome myself and I know many families in our province are dealing with mental health struggles.

There are far too many tragic stories of youth committing suicide and people dying from opioids and methamphetamines. It hurts me to hear about these stories knowing we may be able to help more people with the right resources and support.

My team and I are advocating for safe consumption sites to deal with addictions in Manitoba. These sites are places where people addicted to drugs, and who are already using, can at least have a safe and hygienic location to use. The idea is to provide supervision along with continued supports for treatment, referrals and access to basic health care. Many people struggling with addictions do not know where to get help and these sites become a step in the right direction for people to leave addictions behind. I don’t want my kids to see dirty needles on the streets when they’re out walking around and I definitely do not want anyone to die because they cannot get support.

Safe consumption sites will not solve everything, but they can be part of the response to help combat addictions with more of a compassion-based approach. Addictions are a result of unresolved trauma and we need to find a way to help people deal with these underlying causes. If not, then folks will often struggle with other issues like poverty, homelessness and mental health challenges. We can do better to help folks dealing with addictions. It starts with reducing stigma and committing to harm-reduction based solutions that meet people where they’re at in life.   

To all those that attended my health care town hall events and shared your thoughts, thank you. This tour has been a humbling reminder of how fair-minded and big-hearted Manitobans are. Many people came to speak for their families, friends and many frontline health care workers also attended. The caring they showed reaffirmed for me that health care truly is an act of love.

Please share your thoughts with me at Wab.Kinew@Yourmanitoba.ca, or by calling my office at 204-615-1922.