Grant: Knowledge Translation Supplement - PA: Health Services and Policy Research

In 2007, CIHR funded our team to conduct a rigorous arms-length interdisciplinary evaluation of Vancouver's supervised injection facility. The evaluation is based on the ongoing follow-up of a prospective cohort of 1000 SIF users, data linkages to external health and social services, a database within the SIF, and various qualitative and ethnographic research activities. This evaluation has resulted in numerous studies documenting various positive impacts and a lack of negative effects of the facility. These benefits include but are not limited to reductions in HIV risk behaviour, decreases in overdose mortality, improved access to addiction treatment and reductions in public disorder. Despite this wealth of evidence, the Vancouver SIF remains controversial, and the current Canadian federal government and some police and policing organizations remain opposed to the initiative. Much of the opposition to SIFs reflects a lack of understanding of the project and the known impacts derived from rigorous evaluation. This knowledge gap could be addressed through targeted knowledge translation efforts. In this KT proposal, we plan to use proven knowledge translation strategies, including: (a) recruiting a KT coordinator to manage the ongoing development and evaluation of knowledge translation activities specific to supervised injection facility research and policy development; (b) development and dissemination of research briefs, info sheets, newsletters, and posters describing our research findings; (c) continued development and dissemination of popular reports and electronic distribution of research results; and (d) plain language presentations to policy-makers, health authorities, and affected communities. We are confident that through the KT efforts proposed in this application, our research can help inform the development of evidenced-based policies in the realm of HIV/AIDS and addiction programming, as well as public health more generally.