Bevel Up: Chapter 10 - Topics (Ages 18+)

Street nurse Fiona Gold and experts from the streets outline the effects and characteristics of common street drugs and how they are used.

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Community health nurse Wendy Bradley (Yukon) and nurse educator Gayle Carriere (BC Interior Health Authority) describe drug use in rural areas and how they deal with the challenges of working in isolation and confronting stigma.

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Lawyer Eugene Oscapella and addictions counsellor Mark Hayden talk about the legal, social, and ethical dilemmas of bringing health care to people who use drugs and decriminalizing drugs to improve health.

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Chee Mamuk Program Manager Lucy Barney explains her theory of THE BRAID — how First Nations weave together culture and health to deal with drug use in their communities. She talks about why many First Nations people who use drugs do not access mainstream clinics.

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Pediatrician Christine Loock offers effective and non-judgemental communication strategies for nurses and healthcare providers who work with people affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

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Mental-health counsellor Andrew Larcombe talks about the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder and using drugs to escape from difficult life circumstances. He also describes skills and strategies for developing therapeutic relationships and boundaries.

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Dr. Anthony Phillips, a UBC neuroscientist, uses animation to describe the effects of crystal methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin on the brain.

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Emergency room nurse Jane McColl and ward nurse Joanne Simpson talk about how drugs are perceived by people who use them as a solution. The nurses also address the importance of practicing harm-reduction philosophy and approaches when providing care and services within an institution.

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Sarah Payne is the senior practice leader at the Fir Square Combined Care Unit with the BC Women’s Hospital. She describes an open-door harm-reduction philosophy where she and her colleagues advocate for providing support to keep mothers who use drugs and their babies together; she also discusses the effects of illicit drugs on babies.

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Four sex workers—Sherri, Tina, Dee and Mum—explain the relationship between sex and drugs, revealing how it affects their health and can threaten their lives.

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Natural helper Tina and peer outreach worker Earle Crow talk about how they bridge the gap between the street community and the nurses.

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Nursing-practice consultant Mary Adlersberg addresses addiction, intervention, and recovery within the nursing profession.

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Street nurse Paul Harris (Gay Outreach) and Sean, a transgender person who uses drugs, both reflect on the role that drugs play in the LGBT community.

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What happens when advocating for best health-care practices is politically inconvenient? Street nurse Liz James talks about her role in Canada’s first underground needle exchange, and street nurse Fiona Gold describes how she supported North America’s first supervised-injection site; both nurses took risks, fought for change, and saved lives.

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