We had the chance to speak one-on-one with folks from across the province about substance use, harm reduction, and how we can activate health and eliminate stigma together. Engaging in anti-stigma work is deeply important to us and is part of our Reducing Harms priority. Since 2016, BC has been in a public health emergency: the overdose crisis. We’re proud to be engaged in our own anti-stigma education work, as well as support programs like Compassion, Inclusion, Engagement at the BC Centre for Disease Control, to help put an end to the crisis.

Our executive director Kristy Kerr spoke alongside Erica Thomson, a peer expert and long-time advocate for people who use substances, in a presentation on de-stigmatizing substance use. Their presentation covered types and sources of stigma that people who use substances experience, the role it has in the overdose crisis, and how we can all play a part in eliminating stigma.

Interested in learning more about the overdose crisis and stigma? Hop on over to our resources page for FAQs, downloadable infographics, and additional resources to get started.

If you want to help us do more anti-stigma education, or you want to help peers (people with lived experience) engage in grassroots anti-stigma, overdose response, and harm reduction work in their communities you can make a charitable donation to our Reducing Harms priority today!

Don’t forget you can also sign up for our newsletter for monthly updates on what we’re doing, our priority projects, events and more!

The post Anti-Stigma Education and Recovery Day 2019 appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

Experts from BCCDC, Fraser Health and BC Emergency Health Services, among others, will participate in a panel discussion that will aim to help the general public better understand the concept of harm reduction, including best practices and initiatives that look to increase acceptance. Confirmed panelists include Dr. Mark Tyndall and Dr. Jane Buxton, of the BC Centre for Disease Control, Erica Thomson of Fraser Health, and Brian Twaites of BC Emergency Health Services. The panel moderator will be Donald MacPherson, the Executive Director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition.

After the panel discussion, there will be time for a Q&A, and opportunity for small group dialogue sessions and workshops that can continue the conversations around harm reduction.

A number of relevant community groups/organizations will have exhibition booths that attendees can explore to find out what the groups are doing regarding harm reduction and what they (attendees) can do to help.

To register, click through to the Science World website. (link removed when event closed)

The post BCCDC Foundation Continues Partnership with Science World: A Discussion on Harm Reduction appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

The week starts off with our fun, social event on the Monday with a workshop on Sushi making–which has already sold out!  We’ll also have the posters on display starting on Monday, so don’t forget to participate in the Poster Scavenger Hunt all week for your chance at some great prizes.  The posters will be on display on the Lane Level and 2^nd floor hallways.

One change to note this year is that all workshops and presentations will take place in the Medical Student Alumni Centre (MSAC) building next door.

Tuesday highlights include our own Dr Jennifer Gardy as the day’s keynote speaker, who will speak on “Digital Pathogen Surveillance: Driving Disease Detection with Data”.  As well, this is the first day of the research symposium, so you won’t want to miss presentations on innovation and research at the BCCDC. On Wednesday, the Symposium continues (see full schedule below) and will close with our final Keynote speaker, Dr Caroline Colijin, Mathematics Professor at Simon Fraser University and Canada 150 Research Chair in Mathematics for Infection Evolution and Public Health, and  who will present “Mathematics and the genomic toolkit for epidemiology and public health”. Thursday’s event is a workshop on “Data Visualization Tools and Techniques” presented by Mike Coss, that should prove useful to many at BCCDC.

And we have an addition to the lineup this year: the Research Week Poster Session will be the final event of Research Week. Representatives from displayed research posters will be standing beside their posters on Lane Level and 2^nd floor hallways between 12:00 and 1:00 on Friday, November 2^nd, to answer questions you may have on their posters.

RW2018 Speaker Schedule click for a downloadable copy

We hope to see you there!

The post Research Week 2018 – Full Schedule released! appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

This two-day conference is a collaboration of keynote presentations, case studies and hands on workshops that will dive into the meaning of transformative practice and social innovation and its applications across multiple sectors in public health.

PHABC welcomes participants who work directly or indirectly with public health issues and health promoting activities across the province.

For more information and to register, please visit PHABC online. (link disabled once event closed)

The post Of Interest to Our Audience: Public Health Association of BC 2018 Conference appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

BC is experiencing an overdose crisis and the public needs more information to dispel myths around drug addiction and who it affects. The BCCDC Foundation, BCCDC, and Science World teamed up to organize an event that had experts and health care workers share information as a public panel. Panelists included:

• Dr Mark Tyndall, BCCDC’s Executive Medical Director
• Sarah Blyth, Vancouver Overdose Prevention Society
• Sgt Mike Wheeler, VPD
• Erica Thomson, Fraser Health
• Patrick Smith (Four Bears, Culture Saves Lives
• Moderator: Don Shafer, Roundhouse Radio

A handout to provide basic information opioids, fentanyl, and the overdose emergency in BC was circulated for attendees. A downloadable copy for general use can be found on the BCCDC Resources page, with lots of other helpful information on the Toward The Heart website .

The panel answered questions about how we got here, how is the VPD responding to the overdose crisis, what are the social and environmental issues that need to be addressed, what can be done about a toxic drug supply and more. The panelists were able to provide diverse perspectives but shared a common voice in saying that a secure, safe drug supply is required, it is a time for bravery around drug policy, that key social supports are vital and that we must listen to and value the knowledge of those with lived experience.

Some of the many pieces of information shared can be found by searching the discussions on twitter, as the Foundation @bccdcfoundation ‘live-tweeted’ the event, along with others in the audience; read the hashtags #overdosecrisis and #overdosecrisisSW

The post Public Education Event on Overdose Crisis a Success appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

Join your colleagues as they present intriguing research and innovative program results, listen to two impactful keynote speakers, and attend some fun and educational workshops. A full schedule will be released very soon.

And don’t forget: at the end of Research week, is the Zombie Outbreak event on Oct 27th; a fun Halloween collaboration between the BCCDC Foundation, BCCDC, and Science World. Get your tickets soon, they’re going fast!

This year is the 10th anniversary of BCCDC Research Week, and the BCCDC Foundation is proud to be an integral part of the planning and delivery, as well as a sponsor, since 2011.

The post Research Week 2017 – Mark Your Calendars! appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

The BCCDC Foundation provided funding in 2013 to support an enhanced, interactive Rounds experience remotely via webcasting for end users at distant or remote sites. We also supported archiving of audio and video material on the BCCDC website, emphasizing the role of BCCDC as a trusted source of public health information.

This has resulted in being able to disseminate these educational topics and research findings to a wider audience and provide greater interaction, as remote viewers can ask questions live at the end of each session. The Foundation is pleased to have supported the initial funding to demonstrate the value and we are thrilled to now see that the program will continue to be supported as a vital function of the BCCDC.

The library of recorded Grand Rounds sessions, as well as the presentations given at Research Week since 2011, can be accessed here.

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