Pubdate: Mon, 20 Feb 2012 Source: Prince George Citizen (CN BC) Copyright: 2012 Prince George Citizen Contact: http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/350 Author: Ted Clarke, Citizen Staff HARM REDUCTION CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON HUMAN ASPECT Harm reduction mechanisms, needle exchanges, safe injection sites and crack pipe delivery services for drug users funded by taxpayer dollars generate controversy and have become prominent media issues. But our public health system's harm reduction strategy goes way beyond merely focusing on substance abuse. From smoking cessation programs to safer sex campaigns, it's there to protect everybody from harm. That can be as simple as encouraging seat belt use on vehicles, convincing downhill skiers of the merits of wearing helmets to prevent head injuries, or giving women advice on how to avoid being battered by their husbands. That all-encompassing approach will be the focus of Northern Health's Humanizing Harm Reduction conference in Fort St. James, March 6 to 8. "When a lot of people think about harm reduction they seem to focus of stuff that's been in the media like safe injection sites and needle exchange programs, but harm reduction is actually a broader concept," said Jo Anne Alexander, a Northern Health public health nurse based in Fort St. James who is organizing the conference. "The car seat programs, seat belts and designated drivers are all harm reduction. When people think of drug users they think of people living on the street or who have that street lifestyle, but they don't look at upper-or middle-class people who might be using in their homes and still need access to clean drug paraphernalia. If people aren't sharing drug paraphernalia there's a reduced risk of spreading infections or disease and with needle exchange programs, the needles are being disposed of safely, rather than being left in parks or on streets." Keynote speaker Marliss Taylor, program manager of the Streetworks program in Edmonton, has spent 17 years developing community projects geared toward harm reduction. She will visit the Fort St. James hospital to instruct medical staff on how to bridge the gap between drug treatment strategies on the street with practices in place at the hospital. Taylor is a firm believer the just say no approach to illicit drug use doesn't work, especially when targeting teenagers, and people have to be more progressive in accepting other methods of dealing with substance abuse. "Sometimes there is misinformation and I could talk for a week steady about all the things that don't make sense or we could do better in the country, but we are generally driven by fear," said Taylor. "If we could just get by that and dare to be different. "When you start talking about the current drugs like crystal meth and ecstasy there are legitimate concerns, but there's also lots of panic in our response to it and that's the nice thing about harm reduction. It gives you a chance to think about what's going to work, because just telling them not to do it is not going to work. Thinking about how to work with people to keep them as safe and healthy as possible makes a lot more sense." One of the keynote speakers of the conference is Jill Cory, who has 28 years of work experience trying to stop violence against women as manager of the Provincial Women Abuse Response Program at B.C. Women's Hospital and Health Centre. Public and mental health nurse Kathy Wrath of Quesnel, who specializes in sexually transmitted diseases and HIV testing and education, will speak of her experiences bringing outreach programs to remote communities. Renada Walstrom and Liza Sam, community health nurses for the Nak' azdli and Tl'azt'en First Nations, will also make presentations. A youth theatre group from Vancouver - YouthCO HIV and Hep C Community Outreach, will be in Fort St. James for two public performances, March 6 and 7. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.