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= __Perspectives on Harm Reduction __ =

As a group, we decided to conduct some primary research. We agreed on a set of questions and conducted some interviews with various organizations around the GTA. The following information was provided to us during our interviews with a representative of each facility.

__Interview with Chris Mallais of the Aids Committee of Durham __
Harm reduction can range from simply asking someone if they're okay or making sure they've eaten to creating safe injection sites like Insite in Vancouver.
 * What is harm reduction? **

To prove we care about people. Everyone has the right to choose and even when they decide to do drugs they have a right to do so safely. Harm reductions measures such as Needle Exchange programs or safe kits limit the potential transmission of HIV and hepatitis C.
 * Why is it important? **

Absolutely. HIV rates are on the rise among men who have sex with men, youth, and African Caribbean communities. The only community in which HIV rates are dropping is the IDU(intravenous drug user) community. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada 242 500 people are infected with Hep C, twenty-one percent of whom are undiagnosed and unaware that have Hep C.
 * Have you noticed any positive or negative changes? Do you have any statistics? **

The Aids committee is funded by the Public Health Agency Canada, but also apply for grants because Public Health does not fund safe inhalation kits.
 * Where do you get your funding? **

The Aids Committee officially started their harm reduction program in 2006, and numbers have steadily increased since. Numbers also increased with funding specifically for a harm reduction worker.
 * Have you noticed an increase in the number of people using your services? **


 * Number of Needles Given Out **

June 2009 = 270 July 2009 = 463 June 2010 = 873 July 2010 = 940 * August 2010 = 1131 <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">*Record month <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Educate themselves and don't judge people because you don't always know where they're coming from.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">What can we as members of society do? **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Needles of course, water, alcohol swabs, vitamin C, tourniquets, spoons/cookers, filters, stems, chopsticks, lip balm, mouth pieces, male and female condoms. Also helping people to find safe accommodations or something to eat, giving them a volunteer opportunity or help them build work skills or life skills, and performing first aid or getting medical attention as necessary.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">What else is available? **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">"(Harm reduction) is truly believing everyone has value and deserves kindness and respect." <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">- Chris Mallais
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Is there anything else you think is important to share? **

**__<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Interview with Rebecca Gray of Pinewood Centre﻿ __**
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Aiding people to make better choices but the harm reduction program is not abstinence based. At Pinewood, people are encouraged to achieve their own goals whether that is to cut back, stop, or use safely. Pinewood’s withdrawal services offer a safe and supportive environment for anyone whose goal is to stop.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">What is harm reduction? **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">It supports health and making positives choices.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Why is it important? **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">I don’t really keep up on statistics but we don’t get too busy here, I don’t think a lot of people know about our harm reduction program because it’s relatively new, and Pinewood was always known for being abstinence based. The John Howard Society has been running their program longer so most people probably go there.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Have you noticed any positive or negative changes? Do you have any statistics? **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">No not at all, we like to inform the people who comes in about the other services offered here such as our withdrawal services, but we never force anyone to do anything they don’t want to do.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Do you feel that people may not be using your program because Pinewood is known as a treatment facility?* **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Pinewood is funded by the Ministry of Health and is covered by OHIP.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Where do you get your funding? **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Yes, more people have been using the harm reduction program.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Have you noticed an increase in the number of people using your services? **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Report to public health, anything like needles or crack pipes in your local park, or volunteer. Just be educated on the subject and spread the word.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">How can we, as members of society, help? **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Lip chap, clean water, pipe screens, short needles, and sharps containers for safe disposal.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">What else is available? **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The following is information provided during the interview that didn't quite fit under any of the agreed upon questions.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">During our interviews we discovered something interesting about needle users in and around the GTA. Many of the needle users using the above facilities' harm reduction programs are not in fact heroin addicts but Oxycotin users. This was interesting because the stereotype of the needle drug user suggests a heroin addicts but as few as four of the people who use the program regularly actively use heroin. Harm reduction kits come in two varieties, needle kits and crack kits. Glass crack pipes often break and users don't stop using just because their lips are being cut by the jagged glass. They may also share pipes, even when broken, which can lead to the transmission of Hepatitis C and on a smaller scale HIV. Conducting these interviews with people who so genuinely care about others was a wonderful and inspiring experience. Any further questions may be directed to Pinewood or the AIDS committee. Their contact information can be found on page eight in the left sidebar.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">*question sparked by an answer.