KINGSTON – On Friday, September 8, the Kingston Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Action Network is hosting its annual FASD breakfast to recognize International FASD Awareness Day. A number of community partners, stakeholders, and families are registered to take part in the upcoming event to raise awareness regarding the impact of alcohol during pregnancy and the challenges of individuals and families who live with FASD.
The breakfast will feature a presentation providing an overview of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder including:
1. New Canadian guidelines for FASD diagnosis.
2. FASD across the lifespan.
3. What is new in FASD research.
FASD cannot be cured, and affects individuals, their families, and society. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, FASD is the leading known cause of preventable developmental disability among Canadians, and it is estimated that it affects approximately one percent of the Canadian population. Effects, including alcohol-related birth defects, vary from mild to severe and can include a range of cognitive, physical, behavioural, and emotional disabilities. The first FASD Awareness Day was celebrated on September 9, 1999. This date is based on the nine months of pregnancy and was chosen so that on the ninth day of the ninth month of the year, the world will remember that a pregnant woman should abstain from drinking alcohol.
Media are invited to attend the event.
Event: Annual FASD breakfast
Date: Friday, September 8, 2017
Time: 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Location: Kingston Community Health Centres (263 Weller Avenue, Kingston).
Darlene Johnson, Registered Nurse, KFL&A Public Health and Chair of the Kingston FASD Action Network; and Colette Larocque, Registered Nurse at KFL&A Public Health, will be available for interviews during the event.
Back to Search
Subscribe