RN, MN; SU/HR Clinical Nurse Specialist, First Nations Health Authority
Presenting on: Wednesday October 27
Session Title: Addressing Equity for Opioid Use Care for British Columbia First Nations Communities
Session Description: In 2016, British Columbia (BC)’s Provincial Health Officer declared Canada’s first ever opioid public health emergency. This emergency, exacerbated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, continues to disproportionately impact BC First Nations Peoples. In response, our organization formed an interdisciplinary team, including nurses, Indigenous wellness educator, pharmacist, and others. Much of our work is guided by a four pillars approach to developing a fulsome opioid response, including: (1) prevent people who experience drug poisoning from dying; (2) create an accessible range of treatment options, (3) keep people safer when using; and (4) support people on their healing journey.
Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will understand the critical importance of self-determination as it relates to a First Nations community response to the toxic death crisis.
2. Participants will identify possible barriers to access for full continuum opioid care experienced by rural/remote First Nations communities.
3. Participants will be able to identify a range of responses to enabling access to opioid care using wise practices.
Speaker Biography: As a members of the Four Directions team, First Nations Health Authority, we are focused primarily on supporting access to full continuum substance use care as determined by nation priority. Our work is focused on key areas including stigma, Indigenous harm reduction, decolonizing substance use, along with addressing regulatory, operational, and resource challenges to increase access to care and treatment.
Paula Tait (co-presenter)
BA, Indigenous Wellness Educator, Wet’suwet’en Citizen
Four Directions Team, FNHA, is committed to advocating for and applying culturally safe and trauma and resiliency-informed care when supporting mental health, substance use, and harm reduction programs.