Pubdate: Fri, 03 Dec 2010 Source: Parksville Qualicum Beach News (CN BC) Copyright: 2010 Black Press Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/5ZThWm9Z Website: http://drugsense.org/url/3xEEhi0m Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1361 HARM REDUCTION STRATEGIES AT SYMPOSIUM NANAIMO - Sessions at Monday's harm reduction symposium in Nanaimo are selling out quickly. NARSF Programs (Nanaimo and Area Resource Services for Families) in partnership with the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA), is holding the symposium to exchange ideas and strategies on harm reduction. Harm reduction is a sometimes controversial pragmatic approach to keeping people safe and reducing the rate of death, disease and injury associated with higher risk behaviours. While harm reduction is most often linked to drug use, it is a universal public health approach that includes activities such as wearing a seat-belt while driving, a helmet while cycling or a condom when having sex. The symposium will, among other things, be a chance exchange ideas and strategies that incorporate harm reduction principles and practices into direct services, public policy and individual lives. It will also promote dialogue and encourage culturally safe harm reduction approaches with Aboriginal people. Key note speaker Benedickt Fischer from the BC Centre of Addiction Research will discuss his recently study on crack cocaine. Registration information is available at: http://narsf.proreg.ca. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt