The At-Risk Youth Study (ARYS – pronounced ‘Arise') began in 2005 at the BC Centre on Substance Use to bridge these gaps. The study evaluates programs and services through data based on the lived experiences of street-involved youth who use substances. The longitudinal cohort study includes over 1,000 street-involved youth over the course of almost two decades. This project aims to improve the health and well-being of high-risk and underserviced youth and inform drug policy.
ARYS involves a dedicated team of interviewers, nurses, data analysts, and peer research associates. Nurse Research Associate Michelle Bridgeman plays a critical role in building trust with participants and providing much-needed care. When youth first join the study, they are met by the nurse for a health consultation and interview.
We asked Registered Nurse Michelle Bridgeman about her role within the study and how she supports its young participants.
Q: What is your role at ARYS, how does this role contribute to the overall work, and why is it important?
My role as the nurse at ARYS is to collect blood samples testing participants for HIV and Hepatitis C, and conduct nursing interviews to collect study data. I provide health consultations to youth in the study and refer them to relevant health and social services and community resources, including referrals for STI testing, primary care, substance use treatment and recovery programs, counselling and survival resources like shelters and food programs.
Q: As a nurse at ARYS, what happens when someone comes into the office?
As the ARYS study nurse, study participants visit me for a brief health consultation and a blood test at each visit. I provide follow up support, education and referrals when a participant tests positive for HIV or Hepatitis C at ARYS. If they disclose another health concern, I help them decide where they can access care to address it.
Q: In your role, you perform some testing and treatment among other services. Can you tell me more about why healthcare services are offered alongside research?
Outside of my responsibilities of taking blood samples for testing and conducting interviews, I provide education and resources for risk reduction and work to empower youth to develop strategies and utilize resources to increase their safety. This includes strategies for safer substance use, overdose prevention and safer sex practices.
I also identify knowledge gaps and offer information and resources. It’s important to respect their knowledge and expertise of their own lives and circumstances. My nursing approach is low barrier, really meeting youth where they are at currently and empowering them with information and support to address their health and social needs. Sometimes study participants visit the ARYS office to see me outside of their study visits seeking information and resources also, which I am always happy to provide.
Q: In your experience, what are some of the key healthcare challenges faced by young people who use drugs?
One challenge is that youth say they feel their input into their own healthcare is limited. Providers may make assumptions about their lives and minimize their concerns. They often feel that their health concerns are not taken seriously due to their age.
There is also a lack of youth specific health services, including primary care and substance use treatment.
Q: As someone who provides harm reduction education, what are some common misconceptions you encounter about harm reduction, and how do you address these in your work at ARYS?
Harm reduction in the context of substance use is often equated with enabling drug use. Whereas, its purpose is actual to provide people with knowledge and tools to improve their safety. This means reducing harms in ways that are accessible and meaningful for them, wherever they are currently in their journey of wellness. That may include everything from overdose prevention strategies, to learning simple strategies to care for wounds and abscesses, to finding ways to maintain hydration while using drugs.
Harm reduction is often portrayed in the media as discouraging people who use drugs from accessing abstinence-based treatment, especially in the context of youth substance use. This perpetuates a false dichotomy of harm reduction versus abstinence-based treatment. In reality, we need a spectrum of options to effectively meet individual’s substance use treatment needs.
To learn more about the ARYS team and how their work comes together, read more at: