Alberta Suicide Prevention Community of Practice

Suicide is complex with many stakeholders involved in the delivery of prevention-related activities across Alberta. The Alberta Suicide Prevention Community of Practice facilitates collaboration and coordination between communities across the province. This is done by:

• creating learning opportunities
• increasing stakeholder knowledge about suicide prevention across Alberta
• strengthening partnerships and connections between programs, agencies and staff working in suicide prevention

This is not a counselling service.

Community Helpers Program

This is not a counselling or crisis service. If this is an emergency please call 911. If you are needing to speak to someone, please call Health Link at 811.

The Community Helpers Program takes place in community-based settings (schools, workplaces, community organizations) and enhances community capacity for mental health through an assets based approach. Primarily, the Community Helpers Program targets youth and young adults between the ages of 12-30.

In every community there are people whom others naturally turn to for support. They are from all walks of life and are considered by others to be helpers. Helpers possess characteristics like empathy, care, and compassion. The Community Helpers Program identifies these helpers and offers training to strengthen their natural abilities. Helpers learn a variety of topics and skills including effective communication, self-care, coping with stress, knowing when to refer people to professional services, handling crisis situations, and suicide awareness. In addition to developing skills and increasing knowledge, Helpers are introduced to community services and professional supports. This connection bridges informal and formal supports in the community, enabling helpers to refer peers and family to expert support when needed.

Objectives of the Community Helpers Program include:

• Bridge “formal” and “informal” support for young people
• Early identification of young people who may be at risk
• Prevention and early intervention
• Provide young people and community with accurate information and resources
• Link young people to existing service providers
• Build community capacity for mental health promotion
• Reduce stigma of mental health and suicide by raising awareness and understanding of the factors that contribute to poor mental health and suicide

Home Care

Provides medical support for people so they can live in their own homes.

Additional services offered:

• Home Care - After Hours
• Palliative Care - Home Care
• Pediatric Home Care
• Complex Airway Clinic
• Adult Day Programs
• Respite Care

Indigenous Wellness Core

This program:

• enhances cultural competencies of healthcare providers
• improves access to health services
• customizes approaches for specific health challenges
• addresses addiction and mental health issues
• monitors the health of the Indigenous population

These priority areas are dependent on the foundational priorities of engagement and relationship building. Building relationships with Indigenous people, communities and the various stakeholders involved in delivering Indigenous health care services is necessary to achieving progress.

This program also:

• helps Indigenous patients and families throughout their hospital stay
• provides traditional wellness and cultural support
• connects Indigenous patients and families to health services and programs
• works to create partnerships in areas of public health, prevention, promotion, and chronic disease management
• partners with the Elbow River Healing Lodge to offer a full range of primary care services to First Nations (Status and Non-Status), Métis, and Inuit peoples and their families. This includes traditional healing approaches, health promotion, disease prevention, curative care, rehabilitative care, and social resource advocacy (supportive care).

Office of the Medical Officer of Health

The MOH is responsible for:

• The overall health of Albertans
  monitoring and reporting (to the public and to the Health Authority Board) on the health status of the population. This is done through health and disease surveillance. Advocate for changes in policy that will improve the health of residents (e.g., smoking by-laws, bicycle trail systems, intersection safety and red light campaigns).
• Communicable Disease Control
  Works to control the spread of communicable diseases and manage outbreaks. Also responsible for STD and TB follow-up and control, and for infection control in the community. For immunization information visit https://www.immunizealberta.ca/
• Safe and Healthy Environments
  Gives direction to Environmental Health service programs to ensure food safety, safety and minimum standards for housing, daycares, swimming pools, etc. and to programs that promote healthy physical environments. Report a concern or request service from AHS EPH (Environmental Public Health) at https://ephisahs.albertahealthservices.ca/create-case/
• Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention
  Responsible for chronic disease prevention (heart disease, obesity, stroke) for injury prevention, healthy aging, and preventing low birthweight in babies
• To ask a question or send a message about a government program or service: Alberta Health, visit https://www.alberta.ca/contact.cfm#jumplinks-3.

Medical Officer of Health | Alberta Health Services

Transition Services - Community

This service screens, assesses and processes:

• people living in the community who may need to be moved to a supportive living facility ( such as a care centre, personal care home, or supportive living facility )
• people in supportive living who are waiting to be transferred to another site, setting, or care stream
• people in supportive living whose care needs can’t be managed anymore where they are now
• referrals from Calgary Zone clients who wish to transfer to a site in another zone
• referrals from clients from other zones who wish to be admitted to a site in the Calgary Zone