The Injection Support Team: A Peer-Driven Program to Address Unsafe Injecting in a Canadian Setting

Abstract

In 2005, members of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) formed the Injection Support Team (IST). A community-based research project examined this drug-user-led intervention through observation of team activities, over 30 interviews with team members, and 9 interviews with people reached by the team. The IST is composed of recognized “hit doctors,” who perform outreach in the open drug scene to provide safer injecting education and instruction regarding safer assisted-injection. The IST represents a unique drug-user-led response to the gaps in local harm reduction efforts including programmatic barriers to attending the local supervised injection facility.

Keywords :

• injection drug use
• peer interventions
• drug user groups
• assisted injecting

THE AUTHORS

Will Small, Ph.D., is a qualitative and ethnographic researcher who conducts fieldwork examining the health of injection drug users in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. He is the Qualitative Research Program Coordinator within the Urban Health Research Initiative (UHRI) at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. Will has recently begun his postdoctoral training, which is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.

Evan Wood, M.D., Ph.D., is Director of the UHRI, a Research Scientist at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, and a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (Division of AIDS). He has extensive research experience in the area of clinical epidemiology, especially in evaluating the treatment of HIV/AIDS, addiction, and epidemiologic study design, especially among injection drug using populations. Dr. Wood has published more than 260 scientific papers and has received national recognition of his work. He was selected for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Ron Ghitter Award as the nation's top New Investigator applicant in 2003, and in 2007, was the recipient of a leadership award from the Canadian Medical Association. Dr. Wood's current research focuses on the prevention and treatment of HIV infection among injection drug users.

Dianne Tobin is a founding member of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users’ (VANDU) Injection Support Team (IST). Dianne is a long-time member of VANDU and was an active President of VANDU for 2 years. As a member of the IST, she provides ground level support and education to peers in the Downtown Eastside.

Jacob Rikley is a founding member of the VANDU's IST. Jacob is a long-time member of VANDU, a past treasurer of VANDU, and a current board member of VANDU. As a member of the IST, he provides ground level support and education to peers in the Downtown Eastside.

Darcy Lapushinsky is a founding member of the VANDU's IST. Darcy is a long-time member of VANDU, who has been active in a number of community initiatives and educational campaigns. As a member of the IST, she provides ground level support and education to peers in the Downtown Eastside.

THE AUTHORS

Thomas Kerr, Ph.D., is Director of the UHRI, a Senior Scientist at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (Division of AIDS). Dr. Kerr has extensive research experience in the areas of health psychology, behavioral science, community-based research, and public health, especially in evaluating programs and treatments designed to address addiction, injection drug use, and HIV/AIDS. Dr. Kerr has a long history of involvement in healthcare issues in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and has consistently emphasized the need for community involvement in research. Dr. Kerr applies both quantitative and qualitative methods in his research and has undertaken extensive research on HIV prevention strategies for injection drug users. He has published more than 195 scientific papers in international peer-reviewed journals and received numerous local and national awards for his contributions to public health, human rights, and the fight against HIV/AIDS. Most recently, Dr. Kerr received the National Knowledge Translation Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for his efforts to promote scientific discussion on the topic of illicit drug policy.