Breaking Ground: Our first webinar for Nunavik!

Have you ever thought you were allergic to everything? That's exactly what happened to one of my pediatric patients in Quaqtaq, who constantly feared a reaction, even to country food like beluga. But after thorough testing, it turned out that most of these foods weren't the culprits at all. The culprit turned out to be something far less scary: chronic spontaneous urticaria, or hives. It's often distressing for patients, leaving them with a significantly reduced quality of life. (The email describes the real case, a baby boy, and the picture is me photoshopped.)

Working in northern settings presents unique challenges for healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and support staff. They are usually stationed for a certain period and stay in temporary lodging provided by the hospital. Across the 14 main communities nestled along Ungava Bay and Hudson Bay, there's a network of 12 CLSCs (medical clinics with no admitting services), and one hospital on each coast. As of 2021, the population in these areas hovered around 6128 on Ungava Bay and 7917 on Hudson Bay.1

In these CLSCs, medical personnel wear many hats, ranging from managing emergencies such as motor vehicle traumas to addressing everyday health concerns. Despite their dedication, there are limitations to the scope of care they can provide. When physicians or nurses are on call, they are responsible for the entire village, which may include arranging emergency medevacs to the nearest regional hospital or even larger cities like Montreal.

The healthcare professionals in these northern communities stay updated through online webinars that cover a wide range of topics. Our goal is to provide support for allergy management and build collaboration among medical teams. This will be through continuing education, virtual clinics, ongoing surveys

Just last Tuesday, we launched our inaugural webinar featuring Dr Michael Fein discussing urticaria and its treatment. Thank you to Dr Arnaud Messier-Mayrand who organized this as an official "formation continue" for the family physicians in Nunavik. It was an enriching experience for everyone involved, and we're working on a few more.  Stay tuned!

Sources:

1. https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/sante/2023-02-20/nunavik/un-clsc-tout-neuf-et-vacant.php