Focus on community impacts as City of Nanaimo declares awareness week
The City of Nanaimo has proclaimed November 16 to 21, 2009 as “Nanaimo Sexual Abuse Awareness Week.” Sexual Abuse Resource Committee (SARC) spokesperson Jacqueline Gautier said, “The issue of child sexual abuse is a very serious one that tremendously impacts our community; it crosses all boundaries of race, creed, gender and socio-economics.” A community forum will be held Wednesday November 18, 2009 at Vancouver Island University’s Nanaimo campus. (more…)
Suicide is a leading cause of death for people worldwide, and one of the three leading causes of death for young people under 25. Suicide has biological, cultural, social and psychological risk factors but despite its often complex origins, suicide can be prevented. World Suicide Prevention Day is an opportunity for all sectors of the community to focus public attention on the unacceptable burden and costs of suicidal behaviours and promote understanding about suicide and highlight effective prevention activities. 
In British Columbia, the infection rate of hepatitis C is more than twice the national average. Rates in south and central Vancouver Island are even higher. The BC Centre for Disease Control estimates there are about 300 new infections each month. 
The smoking of crack cocaine is a relatively neglected public health problem in Canada, in comparison with injection drug use. Crack smoking involves particular risks and harms, including possible infectious disease transmission, which underlines the need for targeted interventions. One pragmatic grassroots intervention that has only recently begun or been discussed in several Canadian cities is the distribution of ‘safer crack use kits’, which provide hardware for crack smoking devices along with harm reduction information.* 
Crime Stoppers began in 1976 when a detective in New Mexico appealed to the public with a video re-enactment of a murder crime and offered a reward for anonymous tips. Two men were arrested within 72 hours and charged with the murder. Since that time, Crime Stoppers has become a global phenomenon and is credited by its originator, former detective Greg MacAleese, with solving over one million major crimes. 