links
Public policy about drug addiction
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Addiction a theme in Vancouver's study of homelessness
There's a private story as well as an academic responsibility behind the Simon Fraser University associate professor who is heading up Vancouver's part of a national multi-site homelessness study by the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
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Community Action Initiative
Funded through a $10 million grant by the Province of B.C., CAI provides grants for sound and leading-edge projects that are planned, led and implemented through community partnerships.
The initiative aims to take a localized, collaborative approach to helping those affected by mental health and substance use issues in B.C. To accomplish this, the CAI creates networks and encourages dialogue between community mental health and substance use organizations around the province.
The Community Action Initiative represents a varied cross-section of interest and experience in mental health/illness and substance use.
Our collective expertise stems from lived experience, research, advocacy, volunteer and work practice. Our members are drawn from community social services, business, labour, government, Aboriginal leadership agencies, and representatives from the BC Alliance for Mental Health/Illness and Addiction.
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The Family Council
From its Toronto base, "The Family Council strengthens and supports families affected by addiction and mental health issues." The council's website displays the logo of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. On the site are resource guides for Ontario families, a newsletter, and a links page.
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Four Pillars Coalition
The Four Pillars Drug Strategy is the City of Vancouver's policy and plan for reducing drug-related harm in Vancouver. The website offers many resources such as the podcasts selected for this FGTA page. It also reports harm reduction efforts Canada-wide.
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Inner Change Foundation
Inner Change Foundation is dedicated to the social innovation needed for turning back the tide of poverty, homelessness, lawlessness, and premature death that has overwhelmed the Downtown East Side. The canary in this coal mine is the person with a mental disorder who has addictions.
From the website:
"A more integrated, client centered delivery of services and programs in the areas of housing, mental health and addiction is needed. InnerChange Foundation believes that we can no longer separate these into isolated silos. New and more creative approaches must be developed for homeless addicts that will require a better understanding of the issues this population faces."
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International Drug Policy: Animated Report 2009
This report was produced by an Oscar-winning studio for the
Global Drug Policy Program of the Open Society Institute. By highlighting some of the disastrous effects of drug policy in recent years, it points to the need for reducing the worldwide supply of drugs without needlessly victimizing the world's poor farmers. It also identifies money-wise and compassionate policies for dealing with the "demand" side in ways that make the best use of our societies' judicial and medical resources. -
"Is Addiction a Disease?" BCMA forum
The BC Medical Association writes, "Is there a lingering idea that addiction is not truly a medical disease but rather a human failing? We're having a discussion to see what British Columbians think." The discussion is a forum on the social utility Facebook. You can take part by signing up--that is, creating your own Facebook page--free of charge.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner in Canada announced in August that Facebook has agreed to change its practices of collecting and storing personal information so that they conform to Canadian privacy law. Eric J. Smith of Fraser Milner Casgrain provides the details. Mr. Smith's article is especially helpful in pointing out the difference between deactivating versus deleting your account in order to remove your personal information from Facebook's database.
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B.C.'s "best practices" in residential treatment
Published in 2011, this document is titled Service Model and Provincial Standards for Youth Residential Substance Use Services.
Resources for recovery
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Serenity Ranch blog
Testimony to the caring nature of treatment centre staff - a resource for anyone in recovery.
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Spotlight on Mental Health
This is a community website created by and for Vancouver people receiving medical help for mental health management or addiction recovery. A useful model for any locality, this informative site includes background on projects and upcoming events in Vancouver.
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Youth Services - Vancouver Coastal Health
This link to a current online brochure takes you to information about Youth Wellness Services from the Vancouver Coastal Health authority. Youth Addiction & Prevention Services are covered there and include both addiction-related services and information about the treatment of concurrent disorders.
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Housing -- the Fifth Pillar of Harm Reduction
This article reports what some FGTA member families have witnessed when their sons or daughters have been struggling with an addiction, or were on the road to recovery, and especially needed the stability and safety that sound housing affords. At certain times, the health of someone in recovery depends also on a high standard of built-in support services. Is the supply of "recovery housing" managed responsibly in BC?
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Treatment in the United States
This appears to be a useful site for those who wish to compare paid treatment facilities in the United States with resources available in BC or elsewhere in Canada. Note that as a general policy, FGTA does not endorse any facility, U.S. or other, that the website lists for the convenience of its visitors.
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Exciting training program for addiction medicine specialists announced
Thanks to a generous endowment from Goldcorp, St. Paul's Hospital has been able to establish a new teaching program for addiction specialists. No resource is more critical to the continuum of health care without which addicted youth are unlikely to achieve their potential in life.
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Drug Rehab Services
"We are a helpline in Canada that offers a multitude of services, all free of chage, in the field of addiction. We are aware that individual with an addiction will often need different types of services.
"We just finished a short video presentation that will tell you all about our services."
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Pathways to care for youth with concurrent mental health and substance use disorders
A fresh policy benchmark from Ontario that focuses on the all-important topic of concurrent mental and addiction disorders.
