In the context of the drug supply poisoning public health emergency in BC, PAN has led the Small Urban, Rural, and Remote (SURR) Harm Reduction Project to set priorities for sexually transmitted and blood borne infection (STBBI) harm reduction action in smaller BC communities, with participation from leaders in harm reduction, including people with lived and living experience (PWLLE) of substance use and HIV, community organizations, health authorities, and researchers. Overdose deaths are overrepresented in rural communities and strategies need to be tailored to communities to be effective.
Building on previous SURR meetings, this Summit will allow attendees to consider their experiences with research and evaluation initiatives, discuss successful and promising approaches, define future research priorities, and discuss potential common outcome measures. By bringing together people with diverse perspectives, we will encourage collaboration and creative problem solving to identify emerging challenges and opportunities and create space for new ideas to lead to collective impact. The Summit will offer a structured environment to develop a set of research and evaluation priorities for funding opportunities.
Making It Work was a community-based research study that utilized an Indigenized approach to program theory development. The study explored why, when, how, and for whom community-based services work for people living with HIV, hepatitis C, and;or co-occurring challenges with mental health and;or substance use, with a particular focus on case management and community development programs;services using Indigenous service delivery models and a harm reduction approach.
The main study outcome was a program theory built from conversations and surveys with services users and providers. The program theory uses a realist model, and illustrates the mechanisms (how and why), contexts (when and for whom), and outcomes to ensure services are culturally safer and support positive outcomes for Indigenous and non-Indigenous service users.
This Guidebook will synthesize the program theory into a resource for community-based organizations to bridge the gap between research and practice. It will help organizations implement study findings through a mixture of resources applicable in their work with a goal of leading to better services and health outcomes for people living with HIV, hepatitis C, mental health challenges and;or who use substances.
