Incarceration is a major source of social and health inequities in Canada and globally. Persons who interact with the criminal legal system are at exceptionally high-risk of illicit drug poisoning. In response to this major challenge have been efforts to promote evidence-based decision making through use of linked administrative health data in BC and globally. In BC, these efforts have included the establishment of the Peer (Persons with Lived Experience) Advisory Group at the BC Centre for Disease Control that co-leads analyses using the BC Provincial Overdose Cohort.
In this dialogue session, hear from BC and Australia-based researchers and people with lived experience of incarceration who are using administrative health data to understand the impact of incarceration on illicit drug poisoning and other substance use related harms and vice versa. Participants will have a facilitated conversation and reflect on:
- the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on incarcerated populations in BC, Canada, and Australia;
- how the illicit drug poisoning crisis intersects with the criminal legal system and with other health and welfare systems;
- the role of peer support and peer-run services in reducing recidivism, improving health, and preventing overdose; and
- best practices for engaging people with lived experience in research that uses administrative health data.
Speakers
- Amanda Slaunwhite, Assistant Professor, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC; Senior Scientist, BC Centre for Disease Control
- Stuart Kinner, Professor of Health Equity, Curtin University
- Mo Korchinski, Executive Director, Unlocking the Gates Non-Profit Society
- Heather Palis, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
- Sofia Bartlett, Adjunct Professor, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC; Senior Scientist, BC Centre for Disease Control
- Sara Cadeau, Knowledge Keeper
- Marnie Scow, Graduate Student, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
For more information on the speakers, visit the UBC Health website.
