Pubdate: Tue, 30 Aug 2016
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Times Colonist
Contact:  http://www.timescolonist.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481
Authors: Christina Chant, Pauline Voon, and Cheyenne Johnson
Page: A9

MORE TRAINING NEEDED TO COMBAT OVERDOSES

Solutions also include affordable housing, repeal of Respect for
Communities Act

International Overdose Awareness Day is held on Aug. 31 as a solemn
reminder of the more then 200,000 people who die worldwide each year
from preventable drug-related causes.

It is a day for friends, families and communities to come together to
challenge the stigma that often results in the opinion that people who
use drugs deserve the harms they might incur, rather than expanding
access to evidence-based treatment, harm-reduction and prevention 
approaches.

This year, in the midst of a massive opioid-overdose epidemic, it is
time for health-care providers, citizens and policymakers to act
swiftly to prevent unnecessary deaths and harms. Strengthening
social-safety nets, building community resources and networks, and
ensuring timely access to medical care and addiction treatment are
strategies to support and treat people who use drugs.

For health-care providers, education on modern evidence-based
addiction-treatment approaches is essential.

Formal training in addiction competencies has been shockingly
under-represented in curriculums, as well as in post-graduate training
and resources for health professionals. However, new models of
interdisciplinary education will help equip health-care staff with the
skills and knowledge needed to prevent overdose deaths.

At St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, collaboration between local
government and donors has allowed for the establishment of western
Canada's largest fellowship training program in addiction medicine,
nursing, social work and research.

Such training gives health-care providers skill in safer prescribing
to prevent addiction, as well as how to intervene and treat addiction
early.

For policymakers at all levels, long-term visions to address health
inequities - such as expanding access to safe, affordable housing and
reducing childhood poverty - are integral to addressing the overdose
crisis.

Additionally, implementing evidence-informed strategies for
substance-use disorders includes repealing Bill C-2, the federal
Respect for Communities Act, which stands in the way of lifesaving
strategies such as supervised injection sites, which are central to
addressing our national overdose crisis. Unfortunately, last week, the
federal government decided against repealing the legislation, despite
outcries from public-health experts and communities across Canada.

In British Columbia alone, coinciding with the emergence of fentanyl,
there has been a 74 per cent increase in overdose deaths since last
year, and the provincial government has declared the overdose crisis
to be a public-health emergency.

Meanwhile, supervised injection sites such as Insite have intervened
in thousands of drug overdoses without a single death, and yet
Canadian legislation continues to stand in the way of this lifesaving
model of care being implemented in other communities.

We have the opportunity to change the landscape of overdose deaths in
our country. It is time to treat substance-use disorders with the
seriousness and respect we do other chronic illnesses.

Under no other circumstances would a society permit so many deaths and
impede access to proven successful treatments and prevention
interventions.

Christina Chant is a registered nurse and master of nursing student. 
Pauline Voon is a registered nurse and research associate at the B.C. 
Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. Cheyenne Johnson is a registered 
nurse, clinical and research lead at the B.C. Centre for Excellence in 
HIV/AIDS and director of the St. Paul's Goldcorp Addiction Nursing 
Fellowship.
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MAP posted-by: Matt