The Opioid Crisis in Vancouver

The Green College Outreach Committee hopes to raise awareness in our academic community regarding the opioid crisis, particularly, how and why it has escalated to the level of a crisis, why it is disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable members of our society, potential remedies for the situation and what Insite and other organizations are currently doing to combat this crisis in the DTES. Admission to this event (and the Documentary Screening) is by donation, with funds raised going directly to Insite (PHS) at the end of this academic year. To Date, the largest portion of donations raised are from “Green College Society Members”, people from outside our community who attend events, lectures and galas. Insite was chosen because they are a well-recognized harm-reduction organization in the DTES and they operate daily on a limited budget to protect and save lives. We anticipate that attendees to this event will mostly consist of graduate students (including students from the SPPH and graduate residents of Green College), UBC faculty and non-resident members of the Green College community who regularly attend other Green College events.

For many academics, the everyday realities of the DTES are far away from their own lived experiences, but considering that the opioid crisis cuts across social lines and geographies, the Outreach Committee hopes to bring a stronger sense of urgency and reality into our community.