Lunenburg County Community Health Board
Fishermen's Memorial Hospital B0P 1J0 Lunenburg, NS, Canada

Help us spread the word that Public Health’s Mobile Unit will be in New Ross next week for COVID-19 testing: New Ross Legion (64 Forties Rd, New Ross) Tuesday, March 23rd and Wednesday, March 24th 11:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. *Available for drop-in and pre-booked appointments... If people would like to pre-book an appointment online, the link is: https://www.nshealth.ca/public-health-mobile-units or they can call 811.

As part of their continued efforts to expand peer support services throughout Nova Scotia, the CMHA-NS Division is offering a non-clinical men’s peer support group. This group is for any male who could use a safe place to talk about challenges they might be facing right now from anxiety to isolation to depression. If you or someone you know is struggling, we invite you to join their Peer Supporters, Keith and Glenn, at 7 p.m. starting March 17 via ZOOM, as they create a safe place for this conversation from a place of lived experience. There is no fee to participate. Anyone interested in joining this group is asked to register by contacting Shobha Gashaus at [email protected].

Please help us spread the word that Public Health’s Mobile Units will be in Chester this week for COVID-19 testing at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 44, 14 Union St, Chester on Thursday, March 11 and Friday, March 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. *Available for drop-in and pre-booked appointments Here is the link for booking appointments: https://www.nshealth.ca/public-health-mobile-units

GUESS WHAT!! The pond at the MARC is OPEN FOR SKATING!! Staff have been checking ice conditions daily to ensure safety, and we are excited to announce it is rea...dy to use! Lights stay on for evening skating until 10pm. Please enjoy safely, and follow public health guidelines. With more winter weather on the way, please respect potential future closures.

A new incentive to go hiking!

Would you or someone you know benefit from a Postpartum Mental Health & Wellness Program? Join the facilitators to learn more and share your needs on January 11 from 10-11:30 via Zoom. The 6-week virtual program begins January 25th with more details, including how to register, below.

Life can be tough. It’s okay for everyone to reach out and ask for help. Most calls for support are from women, and we want to make it easier for men to reach ...out for help too. That’s why we are now offering a Men’s Helpline, available 24/7 through 211. Someone is always ready to listen. It’s free. It’s confidential. It can help. Call 211 to connect.

Public Health received a report from the RCMP that a recent sample from Nova Scotia that was tested at the National Drug Analysis Service laboratory was positiv...e for Flualprazolam. Flualprazolam is a benzodiazepine, similar to alprazolam (aka Xanax, Xanny). According to the WHO, relative to other benzodiazepines, Flualprazolam is highly potent with a short onset period. Please be aware of the possibility substance contamination and the importance of safer drug use practices to reduce the risk of overdose. With the possibility of substance contamination, it’s important to reduce the risk of overdose: -- Don’t use alone, if possible. Keep a distance of 2 metres and respect public health measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 if using substances with others. If you have to use alone, call or text a trusted support person and let them know you are using alone and provide them with your location. -- Start with a test dose. Start low, go slow. -- Have naloxone available, even if you aren’t intentionally using opioids. Naloxone is available for free from most community pharmacies and other community locations, including needle distribution and disposal organizations. For more information about where to get a free naloxone kit and how to use it, visit http://www.nsnaloxone.com/ -- Call 911 in the event of an overdose. Know your rights under the Good Samaritan Act http://www.nsnaloxone.com/good-samaritan-act.html Please share this information friends and family, including youth.

AN OPEN LETTER TO NOVA SCOTIA’S EDUCATORS & SUPPORT STAFF December 22, 2020 Lunenburg County Community Health Board would like to pass on a big thank you to all the administration, the teachers and the support staff in our schools throughout Lunenburg County and the province of Nova Scotia as a whole who have all worked together to make the first months back to school as smooth as possible. 2020 has been a difficult year and we appreciate the work that goes into educating o...ur children and all the additional efforts that are happening to keep everyone healthy. The work you are doing to find creative ways to make more use of outdoor spaces, changing some programs (such as music and physical education) almost completely to accommodate restrictions, reorganizing your classrooms to enable as much physical distancing as possible, having to learn new delivery methods and online programs in a very short time frame has not gone unnoticed. We also recognize the added stresses and fears you are personally feeling about the virus and its impact on your own health or the health of a compromised loved one while at the same time helping students cope with their fears, their mental health concerns, and for many students, their hunger. We know that simple gestures like not being able to high-five your students is really hard for some of you. Please consider this letter a virtual high-five from us. We notice what you’re doing, appreciate how important yet difficult it has been, and sincerely thank you for the work you are doing. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Sincerely Yours, Kristi Levy-Tibbo, Chairperson, Lunenburg County Community Health Board

Thank-you to our veterans, those who serve, and their families.

October is Mi'kmaq History Month. Hear Icysis Toney talk about her passion for Mi'kmaw dancing and the importance of Mi'kmaq History Month. https://youtu.be/RkMrHMhqWrk

It's Mi'kmaq History Month in Nova Scotia. Find out the Mi'kmaq name of your community and how to pronounce it by following this link: http://mikmawplacenames.ca/

October is Mi'kmaq History Month. Here's a video of Sheila Porter talking about the importance of educating youth on the Mi'kmaw culture and preserving the Mi'kmaw language. https://youtu.be/GfObdylyapI