A Message for Visitors about the Coronavirus Crisis

Welcome to the special page for The Center for Patient Protection’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this unprecedented public health crisis, The Center for Patient Protection will be concentrating its work on standing firm for the hard won principles of patient and family engagement and consultation in the healthcare decisions and policies that affect them, and on giving voice to the impact of this pandemic on the most vulnerable.

We know how stressful it can be when loved ones are hospitalized and family members cannot provide the supportive care they normally do. We also know that the jarring swirl of events each day, on top of sudden financial pressures and even forced isolation, can take an emotional toll on the strongest among us.

For the duration of this crisis, we will be suspending the regular work of our outreach clinic, which has helped and supported patients and families around the world for the past decade, in order to focus our advocacy, including working with the media, on the needs of our patient, family and mental health communities as they become impacted by this epidemic. Our media work and published op-eds have begun to address major shortcomings in the approach of governments to the crisis, and we will continue to engage in those positive contributions.

If you need to reach The Center, please see our contact page. For your own safety, and for the well-being of everyone in your immediate or extended family, please follow the advice of healthcare professionals. If you think you might have symptoms, use the COVID-19 symptom self-assessment tool. If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, call 9-1-1. If you or a loved one are having suicidal thoughts, you can reach Canada’s national 24-hour suicide prevention hotline at 1-833-456-4566. Text messaging is also available with this service. (See more crisis support resources below.) Visitors to this site from the United States can access COVID-19 crisis resources at the CDC here.

We are all better when we work together and support each other. Viruses can’t long thrive in that environment.

Stay well!

You are not alone – ask for help if you feel overwhelmed

If you need additional support, call your primary health provider, a registered psychologist or other mental health provider in your community.

If you are in crisis, please contact:

Kids Help Phone

1-800-668-6868 or
Text CONNECT to 686868
Available to young Canadians between 5 to 29 years old who are seeking 24-hour confidential and anonymous care with professional counsellors.

Download the Always There app for additional support.

Hope for Wellness Help Line

Call the toll-free Help Line at 1-855-242-3310 or connect to the online chat.

Available to all Indigenous peoples across Canada who are seeking immediate crisis intervention.

Experienced and culturally competent Help Line counsellors can help if you want to talk or are distressed.

Telephone and online counselling are available in English and French. On request, telephone counselling is also available in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut.

Crisis Services Canada

1-833-456-4566

Available to all Canadians seeking support. Visit Crisis Services Canada for the distress centres and crisis organizations nearest you.