Mentorship in Medicine
More than six million Canadians will develop a substance use disorder in their lifetime, yet substance use typically features briefly in medical and nursing school curricula. As a result, only 15% of Canadian primary care physicians feel well prepared to treat substance use cases, and many Canadians don’t receive the
Researchers launch study into COVID-19 vaccine uptake and efficacy in vulnerable urban populations
For many people experiencing homelessness and poverty, the impacts of COVID-19 have amplified the health and social harms they face every day. This is especially true for people who use unregulated drugs.British Columbia is in the midst of two public health emergencies and while the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues across
Seeing Beyond the Behaviour
For Meaghan Thumath, looking beyond someone’s substance use and understanding the root cause is key in providing care for people experiencing addiction. “I really grew up understanding that addiction was complicated, and that it was as much about your opportunities and your pain and trauma as it was [anything else],”
2021 BC Substance Use Conference Awards
Every year, the BC Centre on Substance Use brings together stakeholders from across the province for its annual conference. In addition to sharing the latest expertise and experiences, the conference also recognizes leaders in the field for their contributions to improve the wellbeing of people who use substances. This year’s
Letter to The City of Vancouver Decriminalization Working Group Oversight Committee
The following is letter sent to The City of Vancouver Decriminalization Working Group Oversight Committee following the submission to Health Canada to request an exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) in order to decriminalize personal possession of unregulated substances within the City of Vancouver. This letter was
Pharmacists at the Forefront
“It all comes down to people needing help, but where do they go?” Dr. Mona Kwong, a Vancouver-based pharmacist and Pharmacy Advisor with BC Centre on Substance Use, says that addressing this problem for people who use substances is the driver behind her work and goal to rethink traditional community
Five years of BC’s public health emergency
Today marks the fifth year since the declaration of the overdose public health emergency. We reflect on the tremendous efforts to prevent and respond to toxic drug poisonings, to change clinical practice and policy, and to improve people’s lives – and we acknowledge that it hasn’t been nearly enough. People
Dr. Jeff Harries: Profile of a Trailblazer
When Dr. Jeff Harries was invited to join a Zoom call with some of his colleagues in Interior Health, he probably thought nothing of it. Though he's now retired, the Penticton-based physician – like all of us these days – has become accustomed to these virtual meetings. This call was
Changing the Story on Addiction Care
A new podcast from the BCCSU is changing how change perceptions about substance use and put evidence in clinical practice. Produced as part of the BC ECHO on Substance Use, the Addiction Practice Pod brings clinical training straight to listeners’ ears. The podcast is hosted by David P. Ball, a
Addressing B.C.’s dual public health emergencies
Four years into a provincial public health emergency as a result of unprecedented drug overdoses, British Columbia had seemed to be making progress. At the end of 2019 and into the first months of 2020, overdose fatalities were steadily decreasing, a result of life-saving harm reduction interventions like naloxone and