Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic

Kristal – Drug Poisoning During Pandemic Stigma

April 23, 2023

Kristal discusses how the pandemic has created additional stigma surrounding those who use drugs. She dissuses how it seems like some losses are treated as more deserving of being mourned than others. Many people have had to grieve privately instead of publically within a community. She touches on the state of the public health system during the pandemic.

Collective/Community Grief / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / Video

Kristal – Story of Lived Experience

April 23, 2023

Kristal discusses experiencing homelessness at multiple stages of her life and how that informs her work as a peer support worker. It gives her an understanding of the nuance that surrounds the community. She uses this experience to support people who are experiencing grief related to death from drug poisoning.

Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / My Story Video / Video

Christian – Supporting people who may die

April 23, 2023

Christian talks about going from zero overdoses to 50 in a matter of months and how to help people who may die

Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / Video

Christian – Grieving spaces

April 23, 2023

Christian talks grieving spaces and people coming together when grieving

Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / Video

Kristal – Anger with Grief

April 23, 2023

Kristal discusses finding ways to channel her anger due to poor policy leading to deaths from drug poisoning and those individuals not having the support they needed. She discusses how human beings have the right to be flawed and should have the ability to grow, heal, and change.

Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Griever / I Am A Professional / Video

Kristal – The Value of all Those Lost

April 23, 2023

Kristal emphasizes that the lives of those lost to drug poisoning had value, they were an opportunity that was lost, and that the community is missing so much in their absence.

Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / Video

Kate – Time to process

March 11, 2023

Kate shares about time and processing her grief especially during COVID

Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Death of A Loved One / Death of a Sibling / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Griever / Supporting Others / Video

Kate – Stigma

March 11, 2023

Kate discusses how difficult the stigma is to deal with

Death By Overdose / Death of A Loved One / Death of a Sibling / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Griever / Video

Christian – COVID amplified the inequities in society

April 23, 2023

Christian talks about those that have very little and how COVID amplified their difficulties

Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / Video

Nicole – Working in Community Outreach

March 25, 2023

Nicole discusses her work in community outreach and how she has lived experience with addiction and living rough.

Collective/Community Grief / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / My Story Video / Video

Nicole – Pandemic’s Effect on Safe Spaces and Mental Health Access

March 25, 2023

Nicole discusses how the pandemic affected access to safe spaces and shelters for those living rough and living with addiction.

Collective/Community Grief / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / Supporting Others / Video

Kristal – Harm Reduction

April 23, 2023

Kristal speaks to the importance of harm reduction and how it can save lives. She discusses how accessing harm reduction leads to the creation of connections with community support. It allows community outreach members to connect with community members and get to know them, and to know to look for them if they don’t see them when they usually do.

Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / Video