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hrna.bsky.social
HRNA_AIIRM
@hrna.bsky.social
560 followers 62 following 43 posts
Harm Reduction Nurses Association is a national organization with a mission to advance harm reduction nursing through practice, education, research, advocacy.
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hrna.bsky.social
Our presenters include the incredible Caitlin Shane, staff lawyer at Pivot Legal Society and Corey Ranger, President of the Harm Reduction Nurses Association.

See you there!
Headshot of Caitlin Shane. Caitlin Shane is a staff lawyer at Pivot Legal Society, a human rights organization based in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. As Pivot's drug policy lawyer, Caitlin takes direction from drug user-led movements. She has appeared at the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Canada, and the BC Supreme Court. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Caitlin worked as an outreach and harm reduction worker in tent cities, safe injection sites, and low income housing.
November 7, 2025 at 8:21 PM
hrna.bsky.social
In a majority decision delivered on October 24th, 2025, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized the importance of clear, transparent laws, ruling that the Act must ensure that people who call 9-1-1 during an overdose will not face arrest for simple drug possession.
In a majority decision delivered on October 24th, 2025, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized the importance of clear, transparent laws, ruling that the Act must ensure that people who call 9-1-1 during an overdose will not face arrest for simple drug possession. Advocates and intervenors, including the Harm Reduction Nurses Association and Pivot, argue that this decision represents a critical victory for public health and evidence-based drug policy. We know that the only way to address the unregulated drug supply is legal regulation, but we are heartened by this decision, which will help fuel our fight.
November 7, 2025 at 8:21 PM
hrna.bsky.social
Webinar Alert 🚨

Protecting Life, Not Punishing Help: Understanding the Supreme Court’s Good Samaritan Ruling in R v Wilson.

Presented in partnership with @pivotlegalsociety.bsky.social.

When: November 18 at 12pm PST
Who: Open to Public
How: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
PROTECTING LIFE, NOT PUNISHING HELP: UNDERSTANDING THE SUPREME COURT'S GOOD SAMARITAN RULING IN R V WILSON Webinar with Caitlin Shane, staff lawyer at Pivot Legal Society & Corey Ranger, President of the Harm Reduction Nurses Association TUESDAY NOVEMBER 187H 12PM PST VIA ZOOM REGISTER AT LINK IN BIO
November 7, 2025 at 8:21 PM
hrna.bsky.social
And while you’re here…

There’s never been a better time to join the HRNA.

Sign up for a membership by clicking the link below!

But why be a member? Check out these membership benefits! 👇👇

www.hrna-aiirm.ca/membership/
Membership Benefits: Community of Practice Vote & contribute to national advocacy efforts on committees & working groups Education and Research Access to live webinars & roundtables with harm reduction nurses and drug policy experts Communication and Networking Professional networking opportunities with members and organizations whose purpose and mission align with the organization LEARN MORE@ WWW.HRNA-AIIRM.CA
September 9, 2025 at 3:30 PM
hrna.bsky.social
HRNA’s 2025/2026 webinar season is going to be 🔥.

Up first, “A Crisis of Disorder or a Crisis of Legitimacy? A Critical Discourse Analysis of B.C. Police Officers' Perspectives on Decriminalization”

When: October 1st at 12pm PST.

Register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
WEBINAR A Crisis of Disorder or a Crisis of Legitimacy? A Critical Discourse Analysis of B.C. Police Officers' Perspectives on Decriminalization Concerns of 'social disorder' have become a powerful obstacle to drug policy reform in recent years, evidenced through the backlash to decriminalization in both British Columbia (B.C.) and Oregon. To better understand how decriminalization came to be associated with disorder in B.C., this study applied Critical Discourse Analysis to 36 semi-structured interviews conducted with front-line officers in B.C. Two dominant discourses were identified: 1) Decriminalization as Losing Control and 2) Policing as a Persecuted Institution.
September 5, 2025 at 5:22 PM
hrna.bsky.social
We urge the federal gov’t to:

1️⃣Rescind Bill C-2.
2️⃣Reject forced “treatment.”
3️⃣Fund health, housing, harm reduction & Indigenous healing.
4️⃣Legislate equity-based public health.
5️⃣Meet HRNA Board in 30 days.
The HRNA/AIIRM urges our federal government to: Rescind Bill C-2 Reject involuntary detention and coersive interventions Redirect enforcement funding to healthcare, housing, harm reduction, and volutary community-led treatment Legislate and fund harm reduction grounded in equity, autonomy and evidence Meet with HRNA Board of Directors within the next 30 days to discuss urgent, evidence-based solutions
August 27, 2025 at 6:39 PM
hrna.bsky.social
NEW:

Canada’s harm reduction nurses call on Prime Minister Carney to rescind harmful drug policies and fund evidence-based care ahead of International Overdose Awareness Day.

A short 🧵

#IOAD #IOAD2025
#cdnpoli #drugsky #cdnmedia #bcpoli #nurse #nurses
A plain black background with HRNA logo, a purple ribbon for international overdose awareness day, and the text “52,544 lives lost (2016-2024) these deaths were preventable #IOAD2025”
August 27, 2025 at 6:39 PM
hrna.bsky.social
Update #2

📣 Harm Reduction: Principles and Practice Course Returns! 📣

Thanks to HRNA advocacy, the University of Victoria is once again offering this course—and 15 community admission seats are now available for practicing nurses (LPN, RN, RPN, NP) across Canada.

#NursingEducation #HarmReduction
HARM REDUCTION IN NURSING EDUCATION: A CALL TO ACT Authors: Chloe Pontalti, Brandy Palmer, Corey Ranger, Vera Caine, Meaghan Brown, Bernie Pauly, Bruce Wallace Institution: University of Victoria, Canada CASE STUDY: A MODEL COURSE This course was created in collaboration with the Harm Reduction Nurses Association Harm Reduction: Principles and Practice is an undergraduate and graduate course in nursing and social work at the University of Victoria. It offers an exemplary model, emphasizing harm reduction as al foundational practice competency. KEY TOPICS • History & theories of drug use and policy • Social justice & equity frameworks • Indigenous perspectives & decolonization • Safe consumption, overdose prevention, HR in acute care, addiction medicine, & safe supply • Intersectionality and systemic policy retorm
August 6, 2025 at 12:04 AM
hrna.bsky.social
But we’re just getting started…

Our vision is to grow this scholarship and make it available every year to support more nurses leading change.

Your donation helps us:
✅ Expand the award
✅ Sustain it annually
✅ Empower future nursing leaders

Donate here: interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/webl...
Support Harm Reduction Nursing Help grow the HRNA Chapman Harm Reduction Award Donate Today → Recognizing Excellence in Harm Reduction Nursing
August 6, 2025 at 12:04 AM
hrna.bsky.social
On day 3 of #ICN2025, the @hrna.bsky.social is showcasing their poster “Harm Reduction in Nursing Education: a Call to Act”.

#HarmReduction #Nursing
HRNA executive secretary Dr Meaghan Brown, and member Chloe Pontalti, showcasing their poster. HRNA president Corey Ranger gets a turn to talk to nurses about the importance of having harm reduction education embedded in core nursing curricula.
June 11, 2025 at 12:36 PM
hrna.bsky.social
Our presentation, “Harm Reduction in Nursing Education: A Call to Act” centres the course we piloted in 2024 + the environmental scan used to evaluate the current state of harm reduction education in Canada.

The course is being evaluated currently, and will be delivered again in the Fall of 2025.
HARM REDUCTION IN NURSING EDUCATION: A CALL TO ACT Authors: Chloe Pontalti, Brandy Palmer, Corey Ranger, Vera Caine, Meaghan Brown, Bernie Pauly, Bruce Wallace Institution: University of Victoria, Canada CASE STUDY: A MODEL COURSE This course was created in collaboration with the Harm Reduction Nurses Association Harm Reduction: Principles and Practice is an undergraduate and graduate course in nursing and social work at the University of Victoria. It offers an exemplary model, emphasizing harm reduction as al foundational practice competency. KEY TOPICS • History & theories of drug use and policy • Social justice & equity frameworks • Indigenous perspectives & decolonization • Safe consumption, overdose prevention, HR in acute care, addiction medicine, & safe supply • Intersectionality and systemic policy retorm The curriculum involves equitable, compensated partnerships with individuals who have lived/living experience of criminalized drug use, ensuring ethical collaboration. MOVING FORWARD, PRIORITIES INCLUDE... • Formal course evaluation • Course accreditation with the Canadian Nurses Association • Scheduled second offering in Fall 2025 • Enhanced accessibility across care disciplines and geographic regions • Institutional and resource support for faculty development in harm reduction principles and practices • Equitable, financially supported partnerships with community organizations • Structured experiential learning placements • Advocate for harm reduction competencies in entry-to-practice guidelines and licensing examinations
June 10, 2025 at 8:04 AM
hrna.bsky.social
The @hrna.bsky.social is at the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Congress 2025 in #Helsinki, presenting on the new #HarmReduction course, delivered in partnership with the University of Victoria (@uvic.ca).

#ICN2025 #ICNCongress
HRNA president Corey Ranger, alongside HRNA member Chloe Pontalti, and HRNA secretary Meaghan Brown stand in front of the ICN stage.
June 10, 2025 at 8:04 AM
hrna.bsky.social
By shifting away from punitive policies and aligning with a harm reduction approach and evidence-informed practices, a healthcare system that upholds all individuals' dignity, safety, and well-being regardless of their substance use status or professional roles can exist.

#harmreduction #drugsky
Conclusion: Existing evidence suggests that risks to healthcare professionals from secondary illicit drug exposure can be mitigated. Rigorous research and evaluations on exposure risks would bolster the current literature and inform decision makers. Punishing PWUD fails to address stigma, fails to mitigate safety risks, and is ultimately a barrier to accessing healthcare. Instead of focusing on criminalization and compounding surveillance measures, there is an urgent need to embrace evidence-informed policies that foster collective safety for patients and providers. By shifting away from punitive policies and aligning with a harm reduction approach and evidence-informed practices, a healthcare system that upholds all individuals' dignity, safety, and well-being regardless of their substance use status or professional roles can exist. Harm reduction is healthcare.
April 8, 2025 at 11:02 PM
hrna.bsky.social
We offer recommendations that that are rooted in evidence, not moral panic over illicit fentanyl. We resist false dichotomies presented as policy options.

See here for our full list of recommendations 👇
Our Recommendations: Overdose prevention sites (OPS) within or adjacent to hospitals are crucial for providing a safe space for patients to inject and inhale drugs, reducing the risk of overdose death. Implementation of these sites offer several key benefits that include: Our Recommendations: • Providing a safe and supervised space for people to consume drugs to manage withdrawal symptoms while admitted to hospital • Reducing safety risks through increased environmental and relational controls • Allowing patients who use substances to remain in hospital, ensuring continued access to medical care and support services • Reducing the need for over-surveillance by directly addressing patient needs • Accommodating various methods of drug consumption, including injection and inhalation, addressing diverse needs • Promoting a harm reduction approach that prioritizes the health and well-being of individuals who use drugs Our Recommendations: We also believe that PWUD and worker safety are not mutually exclusive. Staff have the right to a safe work environment, which is achievable through specific evidence-informed, person-centred strategies that include: Our Recommendations: • Providing sterile equipment to PWUD, either directly or through the implementation of harm reduction vending machines, and ensuring staff are trained to work with clients on safe methods of administration, in line with established harm reduction knowledge and evidence. • Situating OPS in or adjacent to hospitals with the capacity to support inhalation. This would allow PWUD to consume their substances safely and decrease the need for consumption in common or public areas. • Avoiding making healthcare workers de facto enforcers of public safety. This leads to moral distress and moral injury when enforcing probationary polices that are not patient-centred.
April 8, 2025 at 11:02 PM
hrna.bsky.social
Our position is simple—we firmly oppose punitive and reactive policymaking that penalizes patients for illicit drug use in hospitals.

We assert that safety is achievable for everyone, including nurses and people who use drugs.
Our Position: The Harm Reduction Nurses Association (HRNA) firmly opposes punitive and reactive policymaking that penalizes patients for illicit drug use in hospitals. While we acknowledge healthcare workers' fears related to illicit drug exposure, we highlight the lack of available resources and accurate information regarding their safety and the safety of their patients. We believe that policies prohibiting illicit drug use in healthcare settings also fails to protect PWUD and ultimately compromise their health, well-being, and access to life saving healthcare. Our Position: In Canada, all people have the right to access healthcare and should not be persecuted for substance use by healthcare providers. We urge decision makers to respond with pragmatic and evidence-informed information and solutions that respect both patient and healthcare worker safety. More specifically, we call for the dissemination of accurate information on drug exposure risks and rapid implementation of overdose prevention sites (OPS) in health services such as hospitals and re-implementation of harm reduction vending machines at hospitals in the province.
April 8, 2025 at 11:02 PM
hrna.bsky.social
This webinar coincides with the release of @hrna.bsky.social’s new position statement on illicit drug exposure.

Statement here 👇👇

www.hrna-aiirm.ca/wp-content/u...
Harm Reduction Nurses Association Association des infirmiers et infirmières en réduction des méfaits Position Statement: Illicit Drug Exposure Now more than ever it is important to prioritize evidence-informed practices to shape the future of the Canadian healthcare system. Fear-based and reactionary approaches and policies towards drug use are aging poorly in Canada's current state of public health, putting patients and healthcare workers at risk. It is time that we prioritize the protection of healthcare workers, communities, and people who use drugs (PWUD) without perpetuating the harms of stigma and bias. We must correct our current course to stay true to the values and ethical commitments we hold sacred as healthcare providers: safety, respect, autonomy, and justice.
April 8, 2025 at 11:02 PM
hrna.bsky.social
The Harm Reduction Nurses Association urgently calls on the Ontario government to reverse Bill 223 & reaffirm its commitment to life saving & evidence-based harm reduction measures.
The Harm Reduction Nurses Association urgently calls on the Ontario government to reverse Bill 223 & reaffirm its commitment to life saving & evidence-based harm reduction measures.
December 4, 2024 at 12:10 AM
hrna.bsky.social
SCS save lives, prevent the spread of infectious diseases, reduce strain on emergency health systems, & connect individuals to broader health and social supports.

Bill 223 will exacerbate drug poisoning deaths, drive drug use into unsafe settings, & sever crucial pathways to care.
SCS save lives, prevent the spread of infectious diseases, reduce strain on emergency health systems, & connect individuals to broader health and social supports. Bill 223 will exacerbate drug poisoning deaths, drive drug use into unsafe settings, & sever crucial pathways to care.
December 4, 2024 at 12:10 AM
hrna.bsky.social
Bill 223 is a catastrophic policy decision that will deepen the harms of the toxic drug emergency & undermine decades of progress in public health & harm reduction.
Bill 223 is a catastrophic policy decision that will deepen the harms of the toxic drug emergency & undermine decades of progress in public health & harm reduction.
December 4, 2024 at 12:10 AM
hrna.bsky.social
The Harm Reduction Nurses Association is in profound opposition to the recent passage of Ontario's Bill 223, which mandates the closure of existing supervised consumption services (SCS) & prevents the establishment of new sites.

#onpoli #harmreduction
The Harm Reduction Nurses Association is in profound opposition to the recent passage of Ontario's Bill 223, which mandates the closure of existing supervised consumption services (SCS) & prevents the establishment of new sites.
December 4, 2024 at 12:10 AM
hrna.bsky.social
The HRNA has reached out directly to the Government of Saskatchewan expressing our dire concerns over the recent policy change restricting access to evidence-based #HarmReduction supplies.

See our letter here 👇

www.hrna-aiirm.ca/wp-content/u...
January 21, 2024 at 8:52 PM