Towards a comprehensive understanding of the overdose crisis and its relationship to social and health inequities

Talk summary: Three years into BC’s first public health emergency, there is growing acceptance that the overdose crisis will be a persistent public health challenge that is linked to multi-generational social, health, and economic inequities. In this context, there is a critical need to not only measure the current effects of the toxic drug supply on rates of overdose morbidity and mortality, but the contribution of risk environments and population health inequities to overdose risk and survival. This lecture will outline current efforts at the BCCDC and the First Nations Health Authority to understand the role of sociodemographic factors, disconnection from traditional culture, criminal justice involvement, and geographic determinants of health in reducing or exacerbating overdose risk, and the need for a nuanced understanding of the overdose crisis that reflects the complexity associated with the social determinants of health. Dr. Amanda Slaunwhite Amanda Slaunwhite is a Senior Scientist for the Provincial Overdose Cohort at the BC Centre for Disease Control. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Population and Public Health. Ms. Louise Mellieur Louise Meilleur is the Director of Health Surveillance for the First Nations Health Authority and holds dual Masters in Quantitative Psychology and Public Health and is a PhD candidate.

BC CDC Presenters

1/7/2020 8:00:00 PM