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Showing posts with the label social justice nursing

Reducing Harms to Increase Health - Should the Canada Health Act Fund Harm Reduction Programs?

It is surprisingly difficult to find any information that does not support the efficacy and benefits of harm reduction. I am a supporter of harm reduction (in the sense that I tend to let scientific evidence inform my nursing practice). I am a Registered Nurse, meaning scientifically collected evidence guides my practice. My philosophical viewpoint is strong. And so, it seems odd that there is a reluctance to accept the evidence of harm reduction as something to guide policy change. Similarly, if harm reduction is not something to be embrace, it also seems odd that this is not so much based on research being conducted that shows that there may be problems with it and identifies better alternatives to current policy or how more of the same can somehow lead to improvement in the lives of people who use substances.  So here we go, letting something that those in positions of power and privilege feel in their hearts determine public policy. Not surprisingly, most of the information tha...