April 2009 - Program Updates

Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity, Extraordinary Forum

by Ben Rempel, Manager, Alcohol Education Projects and Injury Prevention

Six years after the Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity Forum first appeared on the public health horizon, this annual gathering of researchers, policy analysts, community advocates and public health professionals participating in a day of evidence-based research and programming discussions has become an institution — a high priority for anyone who is committed to making a difference to alcohol-related harms in Ontario. Ask Tanya Beattie. A seasoned health promoter, Tanya has attended two forums – numbers five and six – and now, she says, she's hooked.

Picture of Tanya Beattie.
Tanya Beattie

“Last year’s conference for me was great as an introduction to the broader community of my peers. But this year it was even better. I developed a deeper understanding of the issues,” she enthused, during a telephone conversation from her office at the Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (KFL&A) Public Health Unit. “The atmosphere of openness and frank talk allowed participants to ask hard questions and probe for honest answers.”

Tanya says that the comfortable atmosphere for the events of the day was set and maintained by forum moderator Nancy Langdon of Ottawa Public Health, who serves as Chair of OPHA's Alcohol Workgroup. The objectives of the day — providing opportunities for networking with colleagues, to provide an update and discuss current alcohol policy information, and to provide mobilization strategies on alcohol policy issues — were all expertly accomplished. The theme this year, Alcohol Across the Lifespan, was thoroughly explored.

Dr. Phil Groff of the Ontario Injury Prevention Resource Centre, and Dr. Robert Mann from the University of Toronto and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health detailed this data out further, focusing on major trends related to alcohol and injuries including motor vehicle collisions, violence, and drownings.

Dr. Norman Giesbrecht, also of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, presented extensive research on the clear link between alcohol consumption and various chronic diseases including stroke and various cancers.

Pegeen Walsh and Daina Mueller, both of the Ministry of Health Promotion, related the presented research to current Ministry priorities and the need for such research to move the Ontario Public Health Standards forward within a public health unit framework.

With Tanya's academic background in Environmental Life Sciences from Queen’s University, many years working at the Kingston FOCUS community Safe and Sober Alliance in injury prevention, and her current health promotion engagement with KFL&A Public Health, she has gained a solid understanding of the complexities of a wide variety pf alcohol policy issues.

The added value for Tanya was updating her knowledge of current developments in alcohol misuse — a presentation by the University of Western Ontario’s Dr. Louis Glicksman on Trends in Alcohol Consumption and High Risk Drinking in Ontario. Learning, for example, that 32 per cent of drinkers consume alcohol at levels higher than recommended, and that drinking among women aged 18-39 had increased, prompted her to explore further her opinions and intuitions about broader issues around alcohol misuse.

“I was happy to be in a setting where I could clarify my perspective, sharpen my intuitions, and learn by openly discussing ideas with my peers,” Tanya says recalling her favorite moments — the informative panel discussion and the lively question and answer session that followed it. “The Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity Forum is definitely now a high priority for me, a key component of my annual professional development process.”

The Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity forum is not just a success it its own right. Fuelled by the positive experiences of hundreds of participants the forum’s signature is now being viewed with a keen eye as a model for other public health initiatives.

Two years ago, Hélène Gagné had never heard of the forum. Deeply immersed in cancer programs, injury prevention, and health promotion for the last 20 years, she was moving in circles not always directly linked with alcohol. Just over a year ago she was appointed Program Director in Injury Prevention at the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation. Now that her work focuses on neurotrauma injury prevention — the prevention of severe injuries to the head and spinal cord caused by auto collisions, falls and other mechanisms — a whole new world of opportunity for engagement in alcohol issues emerged. Acting on the recommendation of a colleague (Kerri Richards who chairs OPHA’s newly formed Injury Prevention Workgroup), Hélène participated in her very first forum and went back to her role newly connected, energized, and impressed.

Picture of Hélène Gagné.
Hélène Gagné

“The format of the day’s activities allows for a highly productive sharing of ideas and perspectives among colleagues that goes beyond acquaintance networking. And that is very valuable to a newcomer,” Helene says. “The availability of experts who have direct knowledge of the evidence and are able to articulate the impact of their work is something that many other programs could emulate.”

For Hélène, the presentations by Dr. Groff (Alcohol and Injuries) and Dr. Mann (Recent Developments in Drinking and Driving and Effective Responses) provided new focus for her energies.

“I gained a new perspective on what needs to be done. New directions in alcohol harm reduction should be multi-faceted, connecting more effectively with the transportation sector with educational, legislative, and enforcement components” she says regarding the presentations.

But her most enthusiastic endorsement was reserved for the program itself. “Knowledge exchange initiatives in other areas of public health could benefit from the approach that the forum has mastered.”

Visit the Alcohol Policy Network's website to download presentations and research documents from the Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity 6 Forum.