Health and Community Services
November 17, 2016

Media Advisory: Minister Haggie to Attend National Opioid Conference

The Honourable John Haggie, Minister of Health and Community Services, will attend the Government of Canada’s Opioid Conference and Opioid Summit taking place in Ottawa November 18-19.

Hosted by Health Canada, the Government of Ontario, and the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, the conference and summit will address the national concern surrounding the growing number of overdoses and deaths caused by opioids, including fentanyl. The events will bring together a broad range of speakers and participants for a national dialogue on actions to address and reduce the harms related to opioids in Canada.

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s opioid action plan will be rolling out this fall. Participation in this conference and summit builds on actions already being taken to address this issue including:

• Funding provided to the AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Labrador and the four regional health authorities to establish a province-wide targeted take-home naloxone program with kits to be available at the end of November;
• Development of a safe prescribing course in partnership with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador and Memorial University’s Faculty of Medicine;
• New standards from the Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacy Board requiring all pharmacies to be connected to the Provincial Pharmacy Network;
• Development of a Prescription Monitoring Program; and
• Planning improved access to effective treatment options including Suboxone as an alternative to Methadone.

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Media contact:

Emily Timmins Media Relations Manager Department of Health and Community Services 709-729-6986, 709-693-1292 emilytimmins@gov.nl.ca

2016 11 17                              9:30 a.m.