Prairie Harm Reduction, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, and the Saskatchewan Association for Safe Workplaces in Health (SASWH) have received a joint $1.4 million in federal funding to develop and distribute harm reduction resources and training.
The funding comes from the Public Health Agency of Canada as a five-year project to develop and distribute evidence-based, culturally safe, harm reductionist resources and training for front-line care workers.
The tools will be free for front-line workers.
People with substance abuse disorders can face stigma, discrimination, and racism when seeking help from front-line care. The goal of the project is to reduce harmful interactions between care workers and their clients, increasing safety for both sides.
The three organizations will create online resources which will be free to access and applicable to health care, social and human services, and community-based organizations. The resources will also be used by SASWH, Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR), and Sask Polytech to train front-line health care workers already employed in Saskatchewan and students preparing for future health care careers.
Kayla DeMong, executive director of PHR, said in a joint statement that “Prairie Harm Reduction is excited to be partnered with SASWH and Sask Polytech on this innovative project.”
SASWH CEO Sandra Cripps echoed DeMong, noting that SASWH is proud to be one of the project partners.
“SASWH is pleased to be a partner in this (collaboration),” Cripps said, “to work with others to build additional resources that support health and safety for those who use substances and for those who provide care.”
The resources and training are designed to strengthen the capacity of care and service providers to give culturally safe, stigma-free prevention, testing, treatment, and care services. The first phase of the five-year project includes establishing an advisory committee, engaging an evaluator, completing an environmental scan, and conducting focus groups throughout the province.
Ultimately, the training will increase knowledge of issues experienced by people who use substances, facilitate changes in health care provider attitudes, and provide useful tools for both day-to-day and crisis interactions.
“We are excited to work on this important project with Prairie Harm Reduction and the Saskatchewan Association for Safe Workplaces in Health,” said Dr. Larry Rosia, president and CEO of Sask Polytech. “This project will strengthen the capacity of care and service providers to offer respectful and non-judgmental support for people who use substances in Saskatchewan.”
Harm reduction principles focus on reducing the harmful social, health, legal, and personal impacts of drug use and abuse. In place of the coercion, discrimination, and punishment of the so-called War on Drugs, harm reduction seeks to help substance users be safe and healthy, find sustainable housing, maintain productive employment, and manage personal relationships.
Harm reduction has been shown to be highly cost-effective, reducing the downstream costs of both the health care and law enforcement systems.
