London Health Sciences Centre, St. Joseph’s expanding harm reduction training

$72,768 in funding from Health Canada was given to LHSC's research arm for the development of training based on the lived experiences of people accessing addiction care.

St. Joseph’s Health Care London and London Health Sciences Centre are using federal funding to train hospital staff in harm reduction strategies to help understand the lived experience of people facing addiction.

$72,768 in funding from Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) was given to Lawson Health Research Institute for the development of training based on the lived experiences of people accessing addiction care.

In total, just over $1 million has gone into the research project, with this latest round of funding going into implementing the new training.

Speaking at an event Monday highlighting the funding, Liberal MP for London West Arielle Kayabaga says the overdose crisis continues to take a deadly toll.

“We must take a compassionate, comprehensive, and evidence-based approach, we can’t improvise when it comes to this,” she said.

“By meeting people where they are, we can help ensure that they get the help that they need it to be healthy and to be well and to be good contributors of our community.”

Research from Lawson found that patients who use drugs like methamphetamine reported a lack of understanding about addiction from health-care workers and hospital staff.

This led to patients experiencing withdrawal while in hospital care, leaving a hospital against medical advice, or not even seeking care in the first place.