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Rethinking Treatment: Recognizing and Responding to the Spectrum of Substance Use

Submitted by dguard on
Please join us for this seminal event, which starts Monday evening, March 31 and continues with an all-day program on Tuesday, April 1. The evening program is free of charge. The early bird rate for the all-day program including lunch is $125 if you register before March 17. If you are ready to register for the symposium, go to the online registration form at www.keepingthedooropen.com. Who should attend? Symposium attendees will include people who use drugs, families, clinicians, researchers, policy makers and healthcare and social service providers, as well as political leaders from all levels of government. Media will be invited with the expectation that their coverage will help get the messages of this symposium to a broader audience. Background: Substance dependence has varied and complex causes. Therefore, our responses must meet this challenge. Some treatments work well for some, but not for others. Our society often makes the assumption that the failures must be because of the incompetence and lack of moral fibre of the recipient despite evidence that clearly rejects this theory. A consequent lack of hospitable environments and uninformed attitudes results in stigmatisation. Often people with the most visible substance use problems are also struggling with mental illness, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, poverty or homelessness. How do we provide appropriate and timely responses? Goals of the Symposium: *To promote informed public dialogue about the range of substance use in order to broaden the scope of treatment *To contribute to an integrated and comprehensive public health approach addressing the multidimensional needs of people living with substance dependence, mental health issues, Hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS Objectives of the Symposium: * Facilitate greater awareness of the complexities of problematic substance use * Advance the understanding that there are many varied responses and one size does not fit all * Explore responses designed to meet the individuals situation at the time of seeking care * Present best evidence from other jurisdictions that experience similar challenges * Look for innovative solutions that may be applied in the Canadian context Program - Monday Evening: The symposium will begin with an overview of treatment principles from the macro global level to the micro municipal level. The evening program begins with registration and refreshments at 5:30 pm. The program runs from 6:30 pm – 9:10 pm. Program - Tuesday Daytime: In this part of the symposium, we will examine the spectrum of substance use and consider ethical and empirical responses that will effectively meet peoples needs. We will consider the current array of responses, review lessons learned, dispel myths and explore the principles of effective treatment. Information from the symposium will inform the current process of developing a new national treatment strategy for Canada. The daytime program runs from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and includes lunch. Speakers: Symposium speakers will include Daniel Wolfe, Director of the International Harm Reduction Development (IHRD) program at the Open Society Institute. IHRD supports drug treatment and harm reduction programs in 23 countries of Asia and the former Soviet Union. Wolfe has written widely on the intersection of drug policy and HIV prevention, and was co-author of a working paper commissioned by the HIV/AIDS Task Force of the UN's Millennium Project on the effects of UN and national illicit drug policies on the spread of HIV/AIDS. He was formerly community scholar at Columbia University's Center for History and Ethics of Public Health. Daniel Wolfe will speak in the evening and daytime parts of the symposium. An agenda and information about additional speakers will be posted on the KDO Web site soon. Register Now: If you are ready to register for the symposium, proceed to the online registration form at www.keepingthedooropen.com. Questions: If you have questions about any aspect of the symposium, contact the Symposium Registrar, Dave Peterson, at [email protected] or phone 604-677-2759. What is KDO? Keeping the Door Open (KDO): Dialogues on Drug Use is a community coalition based in Vancouver, Canada, that convenes public dialogues on the range of issues associated with problematic substance use in order to advance the public discussion and inform public policy about this complicated and often heart-wrenching issue. To learn more about KDO, visit: www.keepingthedooropen.com I hope you will be able to join us for this stimulating event! Best regards, Gillian Maxwell Chairperson Keeping the Door Open: Dialogues on Drug Use
Location

Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue
580 West Hastings Street
Vancouver BC
Canada

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