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The College has reaffirmed its support of harm reduction strategies that help patients achieve better health and has endorsed the distribution of harm reduction supplies in pharmacies. The College believes that pharmacists can play a larger role in the comprehensive approach used to prevent communicable diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis by making harm reduction supplies more readily and easily available and preventing dangerous activities such as needle sharing to occur.
With the distribution of these supplies through the pharmacy, there is also an opportunity to bring marginalized people into the health care system and start them on a path towards recovery. BC pharmacists already play an important role in public health and harm reduction, from publicly funded immunization for high-risk groups to dispensing of methadone for maintenance purposes. Providing harm reduction supplies is consistent with those services.
BCCDC’s Harm Reduction Committee, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and health authorities, has a goal to significantly increase the number of pharmacies providing harm reduction supplies. Supplies are available free of charge to pharmacists, and health authority staff will provide support, including delivery of supplies and brief training if needed. If you are interested in providing harm reduction supplies in your pharmacy, more information is available at:
http://www.bccdc.ca/prevention/HarmReduction/default.htm
Or contact River Chandler, Manager, Harm Reduction Policy, Ministry of Health.
[email protected]
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