BC Centre of Excellence for Women's Health 

On September 26, 2003, the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) and the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women's Health (BCCEWH) formalized an opportunity to enhance their respective roles and effectiveness with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that brings together the unique strengths of each organization. This MOA was renewed in May 2011 for a further  three years.

Context

It is widely recognized that substance abuse and addictions have a negative impact on the health, as well as the social and economic well-being of women and girls. It is also known that effective partnerships between research and policy groups and non-governmental organizations can contribute to leading-edge research, policies and programs that reduce the harm associated with alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, and promote women's health and well-being.

CCSA and BCCEWH have pledged to work together in a spirit of cooperation, learning and support to implement practical means of:

• Bringing the policy and research fields closer together;
• Sharing data, information, networks and resources;
• Creating and promoting participatory forums for those interested in substance use among women and girls in Canada; supporting and facilitating the exchange of professional staff between CCSA and BCCEWH and their affiliates; and
• Sharing information on issues of mutual interest regarding gender, women, girls and substance use.

Highlights of Activities: 2003 - 2012

Current and ongoing collaborations: 

• BCCEWH researchers are working with CCSA to prepare publications related to girls, women and substance use:
  • As part of the Canadian Network of Substance Abuse and Allied Professionals professional toolkit series, a publication on trauma-informed care was released earlier this year.
  • A publication on girls and the prevention of heavy alcohol use has been planned. This work is a direct outcome of BCCEWH's co-presentation with CCSA on the 2010 Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Committee.
  • Discussions have also taken place about developing a document specific to the prevalence of alcohol use by women during pregnancy.
• BCCEWH, CCSA and the University of Saskatchewan have been contracted by the Public Health Agency of Canada to investigate patterns and trends of alcohol consumption by women of child-bearing age. The Public Health Agency of Canada has plans to publish the report and initiate a second stage of the project.
• A CCSA Research Associate has an article in a 2012 BCCEWH co-edited book, "Becoming Trauma Informed," published by the Centre for Addition and Mental Health.
• CCSA, BCCEWH and others are partners on a three-year study funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research examining Aboriginal culture as a health intervention in the National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program and Youth Solvent Abuse Program; the study is co-led by the Assembly of First Nations, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the University of Saskatchewan.

Previous collaborations:

• CCSA, BCCEWH, the University of Saskatchewan and other partners offered a national networking session on Aboriginal women's addictions treatment and knowledge translation, which took place in conjunction with the 2011 Issues of Substance conference.
• In 2009 - 2010, BCCEWH, CCSA, the University of Saskatchewan and the University of South Australia worked to increase the understanding of sex, gender and diversity differences in substance use and addictions by offering a virtual community of practice for those involved in the implementation priorities of the National Framework. Emerging from the virtual community of practice were four discussion guides, which were published as the Gendering the National Framework series:
  
• Trauma- informed Approaches in Addictions Treatment (Vol. 1)
• Girl-centred Approaches to Prevention, Harm Reduction, and Treatment  (Vol. 2)
• Mothering and Substance Use: Approaches to Prevention, Harm Reduction and Treatment (Vol. 3)
• Women-centred Harm Reduction (Vol. 4)
  
• CCSA and BCCEWH collaborated in 2009 on Applying a Sex/Gender/Diversity-based Analysis Within the National Framework for Action to Reduce the Harms Associated With Alcohol and Other Drugs and Substances in Canada. This document highlights the applicability of a population-informed approach to improving the continuum of care for people with substance use problems and addictions in Canada.
• Associates of BCCEWH and CCSA, along with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, offered a session entitled Better Treatment, Harm Reduction and Prevention with Sex, Gender and Diversity at the 2009 Issues of Substance conference. This session demonstrated how to bring a sex/gender/diversity-based analysis to girls' and women's treatment, harm reduction and prevention.
• CCSA collaborated with BCCEWH on a project entitled Coalescing on Women and Substance Use: Linking Research, Practice and Policy, a national project funded by Health Canada's Drug Strategy Community Initiatives Fund in 2009 - 2010. The project brought together experts on women and substance use issues to share knowledge in virtual communities and collaboratively develop consensus documents in six key topics related to women's substance use.
• BCCEWH hosted a webinar in 2009 for the CCSA-led document, Building on Our Strengths: Canadian Standards for School-based Youth Substance Abuse Prevention. The webinar had 43 participants, including front-line workers and middle and senior management from across Canada in the addictions, public health and education fields.
• BCCEWH and CCSA collaborated in 2008 on Health Canada's gender-specific analysis of the 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey, Focus on Gender: A National Survey of Canadians' Use of Alcohol and Other Drugs.
• BCCEWH contributed its expertise on multifaceted approaches to prevention of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and population-informed approaches to treatment to assist two national committees led by CCSA in 2007–2008: the National Treatment Strategy Working Group and the FASD Training Project Advisory Committee.
• CCSA, BCCEWH and Health Canada co-authored a chapter in Highs and Lows: Canadian Perspectives on Women and Substance Use. The book was officially released at the networking session on women's treatment, harm reduction and prevention held November 25, 2007, just prior to the official opening of the CCSA's 2007 Issues of Substance conference. BCCEWH. CCSA and other partners organized this national networking session.
• A BCCEWH associate led a plenary session entitled Partnerships that Move: Systems to Improve Women's Health and Prevent FASD at CCSA's 2006 National Summer Institute on Addictions.
• In 2006, CCSA presented at BCCEWH's 'lunch and learn' session at the B.C. Women's Hospital and Health Centre on the topic of women, girls and self-harm.
• BCCEWH and CCSA developed an information resource on girls, women and substance use in 2006.
• BCCEWH and CCSA presented keynote addresses at the 2006 Prevention of FASD: Addressing Pregnancy and Addiction conference in Toronto. This conference examined the root causes of women's alcohol use during pregnancy, including addiction and mental health problems, as well as ways to support women with significant alcohol problems or addictions in pregnancy.
• BCCEWH served as a member of the program committee for CCSA's 2005 Issues of Substance conference. BCCEWH was also a member of program committee for the 2007 conference.
• BCCEWH and CCSA presented a joint poster entitled Women-centred Harm Reduction: Evidence for Their Integration at the 17th International Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm in 2007. The poster outlined two women-centred research projects that support a harm-reduction approach to women's treatment and healing; BCCEWH and CCSA were involved in both research projects.
• In collaboration with the Aurora Centre at the B.C. Women's Hospital, CCSA and BCCEWH participated in organizing the 2003 National Conference on Women's Substance Use Treatment.
• CCSA contributed a chapter on a women-centred approach to substance use research and another chapter on self-harm to Highs and Lows: Canadian Perspectives on Women and Substance Use which was published by the BCCEWH and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in 2007. In collaboration with Health Canada, BCCEWH and CCSA also jointly contributed a chapter specific to the 2004 Canadian Addiction Survey.
• A BCCEWH associate participated as a member of the advisory committee for CCSA's FASD Information & Consulting Service.
• CCSA and BCCEWH co-authored a chapter entitled Women and Substance Use Problems for the Women's Health Surveillance Report, which was published in October 2003 by the Canadian Institute of Health Information.
• A BCCEWH associate served as an expert reviewer for CCSA's web page on women for several years.