More than 550 participants from across the Yukon and Canada tuned into phase one of the Yukon government’s Mental Wellness Summit, hosted virtually on Monday, February 14, and Tuesday, February 15, 2022.
Presenters at the Summit discussed mental wellness topics such as prevention, treatment, support services and aftercare, while also sharing a variety of harm reduction models and solutions.
The most attended sessions covered Indigenous-led approaches to healing, reconciliation and cultural considerations in mental health and the impact of culture-based interventions.
Participants had the opportunity to engage in a number of polls on the topics, question and answer sessions with the presenters, as well as a feedback form.
Perspectives brought forward at the Summit will support the Government of Yukon’s creation of a new Opioid Action Plan, which will be released later this year and build on the territory’s first action plan released in 2018.
Subsequent phases of the Mental Wellness Summit will include focus groups in the spring, followed by an in-person event once people can gather safely again. This Summit is part of the Yukon government’s response to the Substance Use Health Emergency declaration and is one of the many initiatives underway by the Yukon government to advance harm reduction initiatives in the territory, coordinate actions and respond to this emergency.
Yukoners who wish to share their feedback on the Summit or ask questions can do so by clicking “public input” on the Summit livestream website. Those who would like to view presentations from phase one of the Summit can view one of the 16 videos from the presenter line-up here, starting Thursday, February 17.
We know that many Yukoners are struggling with mental health and substance use issues and by coming together as a community, we are working to find solutions that will help ensure every Yukoner can access they support they need when they need it. I am encouraged to see so many Yukoners participate in the first phase of the Mental Wellness Summit, who came to learn and participate in open discussions on these important topics. By talking about the issues we face as a territory, we are helping people see substance use, mental health challenges and suicide through a lens of compassion and without the fear of judgement. The perspectives we heard at the Summit will help guide our next Opioid Action Plan and help us improve the mental wellness of all Yukoners. As we heard, there is no magic solution to substance use and mental health challenges, but we do know that we need to continue to work together to address these challenges and improve the health of our communities.
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A total of 551 people registered for the Mental Wellness Summit.
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For mental wellness support, Yukoners can visit Mental health and wellness support during COVID-19 or call 867-456-3838.
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For opioid-use disorder support, Yukoners can contact Opioid Treatment Services at 867-668-2552. A referral is not needed to access services.
Renée Francoeur
Cabinet Communications
867-334-9194
renee.francoeur@yukon.ca
Carleen Kerr
Communications, Health and Social Services
867-332-8293
carleen.kerr@yukon.ca