Previous events

1st Conference of the Nursing Harm Reduction Network

This took place in April 2006, alongside IHRA's 17th International Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm in Vancouver, Canada.

The theme of this meeting was "Hear and Now: Harm Reduction in Nursing Practice". The aim was to provide a forum for nurses from various backgrounds and practice settings to 'hear' the experience of their colleagues and to learn about and continue to advance harm reduction nursing practice 'now'.

The 1st International Nursing Satellite was a unique meeting in that it focused specifically on the role of nurses in harm reduction approaches. Over 180 nurses from across Canada, United States, England, Myanmar and, via colleagues, India and Iran attended and presented findings from their research and practice experience in a variety of settings. The themes of the satellite included women's health, cultural diversity, approaches to opiate maintenance and supervised injection, street outreach programs, diverse settings for care, and supporting mothers and babies.

The presentations brought to the forefront the urgent need for nurses to continue to work together, to continue utilizing evidence based practices, and to continue nursing research to reduce the expanding and rapid spread of infectious diseases associated with the globalisation of problematic alcohol, drug and tobacco use (such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases).

Download - canada_conference.pdf