Businesses In Downtown Peterborough Responding To Opioid Crisis By Keeping Naloxone Kits On Hand

Businesses in downtown Peterborough are responding to the local opioid crisis by keeping Naloxone kits on hand and having staff trained on how to identify and respond to an opioid poisoning or overdose.

The Downtown Business Improvement Area is partnering with Peterborough Public Health and Harm Reduction Works @ PARN to provide Naloxone kits at no-cost to a number of strategically located downtown businesses. Naloxone is a safe lifesaving medication that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose, buying time for a person to get the necessary medical attention they may need.

Photo of Naloxone kit courtesy DBIA

“We’re in the midst of an opioid crisis in Peterborough,” says Terry Guiel, DBIA Executive Director. “We see first-hand people struggling with addiction and sadly, we’ve already lost too many members of our community. If helping local businesses know what to do when they see an opioid poisoning saves one life, it’s worth it.”

“We know that people working downtown are experiencing the impact of the opioid crisis on a daily basis and want to do what they can to help,” adds Kim Dolan, Executive Director at PARN. “This initiative increases our collective response to opioid poisonings in our community and sends a strong message that people in Peterborough are prepared to step up and save lives.”

“This program reflects the caring attitude of the local business community towards people with addictions and the growing awareness that this issue affects us all,” says Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, Medical Officer of Health at Peterborough Public Health. “In some ways, this demonstration of compassion is just as effective as the Naloxone itself because it reduces the terrible stigma faced by people who struggle with addictions.”

Photo of Naloxone kit courtesy DBIA

NALOXONE TRAINING SESSIONS AT VENTURE NORTH

-> Peterborough Public Health and PARN will be providing brief training sessions along with the free kits in the front lobby of Venture North at 270 George Street North on June 27th and 28th from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., and July 4th and 5th from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

**Stickers will be available for any business that would like to display one in their window to let people know they are trained on how to respond to an opioid poisoning.

"Having been in business for 43 years downtown, we see a crisis at the moment with overdoses and addiction and we feel we need to help the community and those in need of help anyway we can,” adds Andrew Damiany, manager of Gentry Apparel.

As well as DBIA members, the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce is inviting its members to be trained and equipped with Naloxone kits. The kits are being provided by the DBIA, PARN, Peterborough Public Health and the City of Peterborough

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Yay! Daylight Saving Time Begins March 10th

This will take a little of that chill out of your bones: It's Spring Forward time on Sunday, March 10th—a sure sign of spring!

Remember to turn your clocks ahead an hour—not back or you'll be two hours behind the rest of us and your life will be confusing.

Sunrise and sunset will be about one hour later that day. And don't forget to change your smoke alarm batteries as well!

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10 Facts About PRHC Turning 10

PRHC is celebrating 10 years in their new, regional hospital building, which is 715,000 square-feet. Below are 10 facts from over the years...

1. At 7 a.m. on June 8th, 2008, the patient move into the new Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) began.
 
2. On its opening day, 220 hospital patients were transferred from the Hospital Drive site (formerly Peterborough Civic Hospital), the Rogers Street site (formerly St. Joseph’s Hospital) and the Nicholls building into the new Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
 
3. The first patient of the new PRHC—three-week-old Kaydance Lane—came through the doors and was met with great fanfare by hospital staff, physicians and volunteers.

Today, Kaydance’s name is well-known in the communities of Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes, as she was recently named ambassador for the Easter Seals telethon in Peterborough for the second year in a row.

4. Navaeh Courneyea was the first baby to be born in the new PRHC, at 12:31 p.m. Navaeh is celebrating her 10th birthday on Friday (June 8th).

5. 2011 saw the launch of the regional cardiac Code STEMI (cardiac stenting) program.

6. 2013 marked the opening of the Norm and Jessie Dysart Radiation Centre.

7. In 2014, the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit (CAPU) opened.

8. In 2015, a balloon intended to notify the public of 24-hour patient visiting had magical consequences when it became dislodged and landed on a front lawn in Dolgeville, New York. Read about it here.

9. In 2017, a partnership began with Peterborough Housing to bring an innovative seniors’ supportive housing initiative to the community.

10. A duck family lives in the courtyard at PRHC, entertaining patients and their families. Read about them here in our post from 2017.

What has PRHC meant to you over the years? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page post.

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McLean Berry Farm Shocked After Receiving Notice It Might Be Kicked Out Of Saturday Farmers Market After 27 Years

Buckhorn's McLean Berry Farm has been a staple at the Saturday Farmers Market in Peterborough since 1991—the year Jane and Sam McLean bought the farm, and started attending the market—but their existence at the market is now under threat after receiving notice they might be evicted. 

Indeed, they are one of seven local growers (the others are Circle Organic, Otonabee Apiary, Ashburnham Farms Gaelic Garlic, Finest Gourmet Fudge, Chef Marshal and Necessitea Elixir) who may be expelled from the market after allegations of disruptive behaviour that has hurt the market's reputation.

Photo courtesy McLean Berry Farm

In a heartfelt Facebook post that begins "Our farm is under attack....and we need your help" that is getting hundreds of shares, McLean's writes they are "shocked", "confused" and "hurt" by the possibility of being terminated from the market at a January 8th Farmers Market meeting that will determine their fate.

Here is an excerpt from the Facebook post...

"Just before Christmas we were sent a letter from The Peterborough Saturday Farmers’ Market (The Peterborough District Farmers Market Association Board) telling us (and the six other vendors) that a meeting and vote will be held on January 8th to terminate all seven of our memberships and our abilities to sell at the Peterborough Saturday Farmers’ Market.

We are so proud to farm, and proud to be a part of this community and have the amazing local support that we do have. It fills us with joy to hear that people love our farm, what we grow and that they they’re able to access fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers markets. We are so grateful for all of the community support over the years, because it means that our family farm has been able to grow and that the next generation can come in and continue this legacy; however losing the ability to sell at this market is undermining our success as a local farm, and it’s undermining the success of local agriculture throughout our entire community.

We don’t understand why our livelihood as a local farm who has been selling at the market for the last 27 years is suddenly in jeopardy. We don’t understand why speaking up and asking for openness, transparency, fairness and honesty has turned into wanting to remove us from the market."

You can read the Facebook post in its entirety below...

Erin McLean, who wrote the Facebook post on behalf of the family farm, tells PTBOCanada that the response to her Facebook post has "been generally phenomenal, if not a bit overwhelming."

"We have so many messages of kindness and support—I've been in tears more than a few times reading the amazing things people are writing about our farm and their love of us and local farms at farmers markets and why these markets need to continue to support local farms."

Photo courtesy McLean Berry Farm

"We've also had a lot of questions, a lot of which we'd like to answers to as well and have been responding to customers who are asking questions as best we can," McLean tells PTBOCanada.

"All that we've been asking for is openness, honesty, transparency and fairness for all market vendors and speaking up for farmers who have been similiarly targetted or removed in the past. We don't think that is too much to ask of a farmers market board."

A petition #NoPinkSlips on Change.org has been started that people are being encouraged to sign that already has generated more than 4,000 signatures [UPDATE, December 29th: the petition has now reached more than 8,000 signatures]. The petition is meant to protect the rights of local farmers, and will be presented to Peterborough Saturday Market Board and City of Peterborough.

As things stand now, McLean Berry Farm and the other six vendors will learn of their future at the market at the January 8th board meeting.

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PVNC Director Of Education Raffled Off To IT Department In United Way Fundraiser

When PVNC Director of Education Michael Nasello agreed to raffle himself off for a day to raise money for the United Way, he was prepared for many possibilities. He was prepared to take over a kindergarten class. He was prepared to tackle the duties of a school secretary. Last year, he spent the day as an educational assistant.

But this year’s winning raffle ticket will put him in unfamiliar territory in the heart of the Board’s Information Technology department. During a day in January, Nasello will take over responsibilities at the busy IT Help Desk—the hub of all technical issues that come in through the Board office and their 36 Catholic schools.

Director of Education Michael Nasello and IT employee Mara Dal Cin.

“He’s got his work cut out for him—this phone doesn’t stop ringing and we get emails all day,” says Mara Dal Cin, who oversees the Help Desk each day at the Board office in Peterborough and whose winning raffle ticket has earned her a day off in the new year. “I love this job, I’m at the centre of everything. If anything technical goes wrong, they contact me and then I make sure something happens....and that the help gets to where it needs to go.”

Tickets for the Put Your Director to Work Day raffle went on sale board-wide in November. More than 300 tickets were purchased, raising a total of $1,354 for the United Way of Peterborough and District. Overall, PVNC has raised more than $41,000 for this year’s Peterborough campaign.

Watch the hilarious reaction when Mara won the Put Your Director to Work raffle in this video...

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Wendy's Story: Watch This Powerful Video From YWCA Peterborough On Survivor Of Abuse

A powerful new video on domestic violence released recently by YWCA Peterborough is getting thousands of views.

"Wendy's Story" tells the story of Wendy—a YWCA client, Board Director, mother and survivor of abuse—who is courageously sharing her story to save the lives of other women and children in our community and beyond.

Wendy

Safe Nights at YWCA's Crossroads Shelter are possible thanks to generous donors. To help save the life of another woman or child facing serious danger in their own home, click here for more information.

Watch and share this video below...

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Apsley Residents Still Without A Family Physician In Town

When Dr. Wagdy Rayes retired in June after an amazing 40 years run as a family physician in Apsley (which has a population of about 2,300), the township in Peterborough County was left without a doctor.

Rayes had approximately 1,140 patients rostered to his practice, and many of those were left without a GP when he closed his practice at the Apsley Medical Centre on Burleigh Street.

The commitment was made to find the town a new GP as soon as possible—and that commitment remains, according to the Peterborough Family Healthy Team (PHFT).

A North Kawartha Hub clinic with a nurse practioner opened behind Dr. Rayes' old office for those who couldn't join an established family practice. When a new doctor is found, PFHT says this Nurse Practitioner hub will be integrated into this practice to provide all patients of Apsley with a wholesome practice.

But the Nurse Practitioner Hub can only provide care to patients that are enrolled with them as they are currently at full capacity, meaning PFHT is pursuing a temporary solution to support these folks who can't use the hub. They are exploring a telemedicine approach which still needs to be planned out before being implemented.

“It is Peterborough Family Health Team’s responsibility to ensure all residents of the City & Country of Peterborough have access to adequate primary healthcare services,” says Lori Richey, Executive Director for the PFHT. “We continue to search for a permanent family doctor to take over the primary care for patients, but in the meantime we need a solution. People cannot go without access to care.”

A telemedicine service would provide a virtual family doctor to patients in the community. This temporary clinic would also enroll patients and smoothly transition them over to a new family doctor once recruited and that practice is up and running.

In the meantime, those living in Apsley who require care can access it through the following means:

-> The Lakefield VON Nurse Practitioner Clinic: Open Wednesdays and Thursdays, and located at 150 Strickland Street in Lakefield. (Residents are encouraged to book an appointment by calling 705.651.4866.)

-> Peterborough Regional Health Centre: If you urgently require health care services, you are advised to go to your local hospital at 1 Hospital Drive in Peterborough.

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The Amazing Impact In From The Cold Has Had During Its 18 Years In Peterborough

In 2000, a group of Peterborough musical friends established a Christmas concert that was unlike any other—more influenced by Celtic and roots music, and one where people would hear something other than the usual Christmas carols and standards we hear every year.

"I was also inspired by Tom Jackson’s annual The Huron Carole concerts that raise money for local food banks," says one of its founders John Hoffman. "So we decided to launch the concert and donate the money to a local charity. Then I discovered that a small group was trying to establish a facility for homeless youth and that seemed like the perfect beneficiary for us."

Now, nearly two decades later, In From The Cold has had a huge impact—raising more than $100,000 for YES Shelter for Youth and Families, and also helped to raise awareness about the needs of homeless youth in our community.

After 18 years, Hoffman says that what has really kept this much-loved, anticipated event going over the years is two things: the music and what he calls the "In From the Cold feeling".

"The concert is a great creative exercise for us musicians," he tells PTBOCanada. "We enjoy digging up beautiful Christmas songs that are seldom sung but deserve to be heard. We love arranging them and performing them in our signature Celtic style. And then, the feeling you get when you walk out on the stage to perform is just magical. It’s like a huge family gathering—a really supportive, responsive audience. Lots and lots of people come to see the show each year, so it’s kind of like a family reunion."

THE PERFORMERS

-> Carried Away (Susan Newman, Rob Fortin and John Hoffman, with guests Michael Ketemer and Tanah Haney)
-> The Convivio Chorus (choir)
-> Enriqué “Roy” Claveer (Curtis Driedger)
-> Michael Ketemer: does a fingerstyle guitar solo each year

SOME NEAT SONGS DURING THIS YEAR'S CONCERT

-> Susan Newman has set the Robert Frost poem, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening", to music and arranged it for choir.
-> "Noel est Arrivé": a very old, rollicking song from Provence
-> "Christ Child’s Lullaby", from the Outer Hebrides
-> "Wintergrace", an Appalachian song: "It is so catchy and lovely, it’s hard to believe that hardly anyone sings it anymore," says Hoffman.
-> "Sweet Bells", a lovely and lively carol from Yorkshire
-> "A Cradle In Bethlehem", which was a hit for Nat King Cole in 1960

Hoffman says there will also be versions of some Christmas standards, including "Silent Night", "Good King Wenceslas" and the "Gloucester Wassail".

The 18th annual In From The Cold concert takes place on December 8th and 9th this year at Market Hall. Tickets are $20 ($15 for students and children), and available at Moondance or at the Market Hall online box office.

Local filmmaker Rodney Fuentes has made a short documentary about the concert. Watch it below...

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