Counsel Representing Canadian Premiers Awards the St. John’s Status of Women Council an Award for Innovation in Mental Health and Addictions Care
On October 18th, Canada’s Premiers announced the winners of an award for Innovation in Mental Health and Addictions Care. The St. John’s Status of Women Council’s Managed Alcohol Program (MAP) was selected to receive this distinction for Newfoundland and Labrador. The award honours innovative initiatives that positively impact mental health and addictions care, MAP is proud to join other exciting initiatives across Canada in furthering this important harm reduction work.
The Managed Alcohol Program is a pilot that began in 2021 and assists women and nonbinary people who experience risks and harms related to alcohol use. MAP’s harm reduction approach provides participants a safe and stable supply of alcohol, along with social and healthcare support. MAP works with Eastern Health to assess participant eligibility, determine a safe dose of alcohol, and provide ongoing reassessment and primary healthcare services.
While managed alcohol programs are widely recognized as valuable tools, the St. John’s Status of Women Council’s MAP is unique in its focus on women and nonbinary individuals and offers an innovative mix of outreach, residential programming, and peer support alongside research and learning. In addition to the direct benefits to participants, MAP shares learnings from this pilot widely, encouraging the program to grow across the province and beyond..
MAP is celebrating this achievement as a win for harm reduction in Newfoundland and Labrador. The program’s greatest innovations are its flexibility in letting participants determine their own healthcare goals, and its non-judgmental approach to whole-person support. MAP participants have noted that this program helps them feel validated, important, and in control. MAP invites people to view their substance use in a different way, and live the best lives they can.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Learn more about the award here: https://www.canadaspremiers.ca/mhaa/
CONTACT INFORMATION
For more information or to arrange for interviews, please contact:
Becky Fleming, Harm Reduction Program Coordinator
St. John’s Status of Women Council
709 725 8700
