811

Reuel S. Amdur

You need to know about the phone number 811.  Connexions  Resource Centre offered an information session on the subject at the Wakefield Community Centre on March 27.  Among presenters were Lucie Purdy, Acting Manager for Info Santé 811 and Simona Hudema, Acting Manger for Social Service Options Two in the region.

There are now three options for service when you call, and all services are offered in English as well as French.  Option One is for health issues.  Option Two addresses social needs.  Option Three addresses medical needs for those without a family doctor.  While Option One calls are handled province-wide, the other two options are located regionally and can advise and, in some cases, can connect for the action with local resources.

In all cases, the person for whom a service is needed, must be available at the phone to give permission for the caller to speak to 811.  For Options One and Two, calls are received 24/7.  In the case of Option Three, call between 8 and 6:30 weekdays and 8 to 4 on weekends.  Calls on Option One are taken by a nurse, while on Option Two the literature refers to the helper as a social service worker or psychosocial worker.  In effect, this suggests that this person may or may not be a social worker. 

When should you ask for Option One?  You need advice on high blood pressure or temperature, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, flu, breastfeeding, contraception, abortion, or other health matters.  If you have a family doctor who is not accessible, Option One may be able to help. 

Option Two comes into play if you need any of a variety of services offered by the CISSSO (Centre intégré de santé et des services sociaux de l’Outaouais), which administers health and social services in the region.  While this function used to be handled  by the CLSC, the government’s “reform” appears to us to have left  the CLSC as little more than a  shell.

For the former CLSC matters, call Option Two if you need a nurse, nutritionist, social worker, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, or psychologist.  You can get intake for various matters—homecare for people with physical or mental    disability and persons over 65, mental illness, addiction, social service needs in family medical groups, and problems with youth.  However, if the young person’s safety is the issue, CAS is the appropriate agency.

Other areas of concern for Option Two include emotional distress, marital issues, sexual concerns, suicidal or homicidal thoughts, and sexual assault.  In the case of sexual assault, psychosocial support is offered at the hospital or in the home.   

Crises can be managed through mixed intervention teems, with police.  The suicide prevention line is 12-866-277-3553.

Option Three is to address the immediate health needs of those without a family doctor.  811 will help identify appropriate resources.   For example, it may be a pharmacist.  They now have a fairly wide scope of practice.  The referral may be to a doctor who is able to act in an urgent situation, as an alternative to the hospital. 

As an alternative to Option Three on the phone, use Google—“Primary Care Access Point” or “Health Access Point” to get the web address.  If you call for someone who is not present to give consent, 811 will call back three times to connect for consent. 

If for some reason dialing 811 does not work, call 1-866-567-4036.

Photo caption: XMAN offers athletes of all levels the opportunity to push their boundaries and experience unforgettable moments, with the next race set for July 27th at Centre Vorlage in Wakefield.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Sara Nunes, Owner and President of XMAN RACE