On April 14, 2016, provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall declared B.C.’s first public health emergency due to the alarming rise in drug-related overdoses and deaths.

“Since 2010, the number and rate of overdose deaths related to illicit drugs continue to rise exponentially,” said Dr. Patty Daly, VCH Chief Medical Health Officer and VP of Public Health. “In B.C., we’re on track for at least 800 overdose deaths this year.”

At VGH and locations across Vancouver, close to 500 staff and physicians came together to learn more about B.C.’s public health emergency at the Vancouver All-Staff Forum on June 8. Participants came as professionals, parents and peers representing a range of concerns and interests.

“I want to emphasize,” said Dr. Daly, “that Vancouver is a national leader in how we manage opiod addiction. …We are laden with experts in this field … so it’s not as if we weren’t doing anything before the declaration of the emergency, but we’re enhancing what we’re doing.”

Following Dr. Daly’s introduction, Sara Young, Harm Reduction Coordinator, facilitated a panel touching on frontline experiences, including those of Jaime Gallaher, a VGH Clinical Nurse Educator in the ED.

Panel (l to r): Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, Medical Health Officer, VCH; Dr. Stacy Sprague, Employee Family Assistance Program; Sara Young, Harm Reduction Coordinator, Vancouver Community; Jaime Gallaher, Clinical Nurse Educator, VGH ED; and Dr. Ron Joe, Associate Medical Director, Addiction Services, Vancouver Community.

Drs. Mark Lysyshyn, Medical Health Officer, and Ron Joe, Associate Medical Director of Addiction Services in Vancouver, addressed our services and strategies to save lives. And, with the help of special guest Dr. Stacy Sprague of our Employee Family Assistance Program, the discussion covered strategies for self-care and caring for those we love struggling with an addiction.

Watch the recorded webcast

The Vancouver All-Staff Forum was recorded for you to experience at your convenience. If you couldn’t join us, you can still watch the recorded webcast.

We want your feedback

Whether you attended the forum, plan on watching the webcast — or registered but couldn’t attend — we want to hear from you.  Here is a link to our brief and confidential survey.

Please complete the survey no later than June 24, 2016.

Learn more

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