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含羞草研究社: Dr. Reka Gustafson talks HIV, COVID, the toxic drug crisis and mental health

TODAY IN B.C.: Medical health officer offers insight
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You will find 含羞草研究社楾oday in B.C.含羞草研究社 podcasts on , , , and podcasts.

Dr. Reka Gustafson joined Island Health after holding positions in Vancouver as the medical officer for the City of Vancouver and as the deputy chief medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health.

含羞草研究社淎s a general rule, don含羞草研究社檛 start a new public health job at the beginning of a pandemic含羞草研究社, said Gustafson, who received her medical training at UBC.

During her time in Vancouver, Gustafson worked primarily in communicable disease control, and worked with a team to change the testing practices for the way that HIV is diagnosed and managed.

含羞草研究社淭he entire healthcare system in British Columbia improved early diagnosis for HIV with the help of really dedicated clinicians and outreach teams, made sure that people were linked to treatment early and the result was that British Columbia, has sustainably reduced infection rates for HIV and improved treatment substantially,含羞草研究社 she said. 含羞草研究社淭hat含羞草研究社檚 a pretty unique trend in Canada.含羞草研究社

On this edition of Today in B.C., host Peter McCully asked Gustafson what are the solutions to help people who are accessing toxic drugs in British Columbia.

含羞草研究社淭he fact that we arbitrarily criminalize some substances and not others is something that we need to address,含羞草研究社 she said. 含羞草研究社淲e need to really look at the legislative and societal framework in which some substances are criminalized and others are a completely normal part of our social fabric. And there含羞草研究社檚 a clear correlation between the toxicity and the harms of those substances that we criminalize.含羞草研究社

Gustafson also offers her insight into the flu season, COVID, alcohol use and mental health issues.

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Peter McCully

About the Author: Peter McCully

Peter has been a broadcaster and publisher on both of Canada含羞草研究社檚 coasts and has owned a small newspaper and run an advertising agency along the way.
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