Toward The Heart

Take Home Naloxone (THN) Program

Naloxone is a medication that reverses the effects of an overdose from opioids, such as heroin, methadone, and morphine.

BC has developed a Take Home Naloxone (THN) Program to help prevent overdoses and save lives.

Perceptions of People Who Smoke Crack Cocaine

This study explores the perceptions of persons who smoke crack cocaine in Vancouver regarding its use, effects and impacts on their health.

Perceptions of risk and suggestions related to harm reduction supplies and services are examined.

Health Effects from Tainted Cocaine

Cocaine in B.C. has been found to contain a substance called levamisole which can cause a condition called agranulocytosis that dramatically reduces white blood cells.

We are doing a study to find out more about it, and help doctors better treat patients after exposure.

Youth Injection Prevention Project

The YIP project is a collaborative study involving at-risk youth co-researchers.

It focuses on identifying factors associated with preventing the transition into injection drug use among street-involved youth in Metro Vancouver, BC.

Take Home Naloxone Program: Nine Month Review

May 17th, 2013

Naloxone is a safe and effective medication that can quickly reverse an opioid overdose. As of August 2012, the BC Centre for Disease Control launched the BC Take Home Naloxone (THN) pilot program to provide overdose prevention and response training to people at risk and their friends and family. Only those who use opioids and complete the training are prescribed and dispensed a THN kit from a participating site. The kit contains the tools necessary to administer naloxone in the event of an overdose giving people immediate access to a potentially life-saving treatment.

In the first nine months of the program, this is what we have reported back:

There have been 14 known overdose reversals.
995 THN kits have been sent to 18 sites in 3 health authorities.
248 people have completed the training and received a kit.
More than 400 people have been trained in OD prevention and response in BC. This included people who use drugs, their friends and family, and service providers.

About Us

The Harm Reduction Program is part of the BC Centre for Disease Control. We believe every person has the right to the best health possible and should be treated with dignity and respect.

We advocate for a community-based participatory model where patients are partners. We see ourselves as 'co-learners' meaning we understand that clients are the ‘experts’ with lived experiences and, to reciprocate, we are open and share our knowledge and our expertise. We believe in including people who use illegal drugs from across BC in policy decisions and program changes.

About Harm Reduction

Harm reduction aims to keep people safe and minimize death, disease, and injury from high-risk behaviour. Harm reduction involves a range of support services and strategies to enhance the knowledge, skills, resources, and supports for individuals, families and communities to be safer and healthier.

The evidence shows it works and has many benefits for people who use substances, their families, and communities.