Montreal public health is in mourning. The Dre Carole Morissette, who was a medical adviser there, died on July 24, at the age of 67, from cancer. She will have devoted most of her career to the vulnerable populations of the metropolis.
For more than 30 years, the Dre Morissette has worked in the field of misdeed reduction, a public health approach which aims to minimize the negative impacts linked to drug use rather than eliminate use itself.
“It is a great loss for Montrealers and vulnerable populations. She was also a solid and very determined ally of the community environment to advance the cause of the reduction of misdeeds which is not easy, ”says the Dre Mylène Drouin, Regional Director of Public Health of Montreal.
She had this “willingness to give back to public health her much more humanist image, therefore to get closer to people rather than punish them”, according to Louis Letellier, lawyer and co -founder of the body for reducing cactus harm.
Among his significant achievements, Mr. Letellier quotes the arrival of supervised injection sites in Montreal in 2017, a project that the Dre Morissette piloted.
At the time, the process had been particularly “demanding” because it had been started under the conservative federal government of Stephen Harper, not favorable to the reduction of misdeeds, known as the chairman of the board of directors of the Association of Quebec Dependence Stakeholders.
Ultimately, the Dre Carole Morissette and her team managed to implement a concrete strategy to prevent the overdoses in the metropolis, raises the Dre Drouin. “We are lucky because when we look at the mortality curves, we clearly distinguish themselves from the other major cities in North America. And that is thanks to a well tied network. »»
From family medicine to public health
In the mid -1980s, the Dre Morissette begins her practice as a family doctor, after studying at the University of Montreal. She first exercises on the North Shore and in North-du-Québec, in particular.
Then, from 1987 to 1991, she produced a community health residence at the University of Montreal. In the metropolis, it takes part in the creation of an injection equipment distribution program in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Pic-Atouts district. Today, the organization is called Dopamine and offers various services to people who consume drugs.
At the time, in the 1990s, the objective was above all to prevent the transmission of HIV and hepatitis C by syringes, explains the Dre Drouin. A strategy that has borne fruit, she underlines. “It’s a great success. When we look at the new cases of these diseases today, there are almost no more among drug users. »»
Until his death, the Dre Carole Morissette has held several positions in the public health of Montreal, including that of medical heads of the prevention and control of infectious diseases and that of doctor-advisor.
“Take the pulse” on the ground
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dre Morissette continued his work with vulnerable populations. As a medical adviser at the Montreal Regional Public Health Directorate, she played a key role in the implementation of isolation units for people in homelessness.
“If we ask a citizen infected with the virus to isolate himself, but he has no house, you have to offer him a decent place. So she had really pushed a lot behind the scenes to ensure that she had a strategy that was worthy for these people during the health crisis, “she said.
Throughout his career, the Dre Carole Morissette was able to combine scientific rigor and listening to the field, says the Dre Drouin. “She was in good neighborhood committees, she was going to speak with citizens. She also went to neighborhood posts to meet the police to try to find out more about the drugs that circulate. »»
Passionate about her work, she remained engaged “until the last minute”, maintains Louis Letellier. “She really fought for her ideas. »»
