The harm reduction client survey: From small beginnings to influencing harm reduction policy and programs

This presentation will explore how the harm reduction client survey was introduced in 2012 for quality assurance purposes and to provide a snapshot of substance use across BC. Since that time the survey has expanded into an invaluable tool in the ever changing context of highly toxic drugs and the devastating overdose crisis. We will share some findings and how these have informed policy, program development and evaluation, research and knowledge translation priorities. We will also highlight how people with lived and living experience are engaged in all steps of the survey development, administration and interpretation of the findings. Presenters: Dr. Jane Buxton is a public health physician and professor in the UBC School of Population and Public Health. She is medical lead for harm reduction at BC Centre for Disease Control. She developed the Drug Overdose and Alert Partnership to identify and respond to issues related to illegal drugs. In 2012 she led the implementation of the BC Take Home Naloxone program - which has shipped one million kits to distribution sites across the province. Jane's research uses qualitative and quantitative approaches, and she is committed to including the authentic voices of the experts - people with lived and living experience - in developing policy, program planning and evaluation, and research. Charlene Burmeister has over 12 years of experience in peer engagement and leadership, and holds several roles including the People with Lived and Living Experience Stakeholder Engagement Lead for the BC Centre for Disease Control, and is the Founder and Executive Director of the Coalition of Substance Users of the North. She is also a board member of the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs. Charlene was one of the first members of the provincial advisory committee, PEEP in 2015 and continues to inform provincial harm reduction policy using her expertise and leadership. Max Ferguson is a research epidemiologist on the BCCDC's Harm Reduction team. They hold a dual Master of Public Health and Master of Science in Nursing from the University of British Columbia. They are currently leading the development of a Canadian Take-Home Naloxone Best Practice Guideline.

BC CDC Presenters

9/21/2021 7:00:00 PM