Putting Youth at the Centre of Opioid Treatment

by Jill Fairbank/November 29, 2021 / Leave a comment

“One of the precursors for our project was really that tension for change. We were seeing opioid harms in the adult population, but it was starting to emerge that around 20% of overdoses were happening to those under 30. That really helped us build the momentum and the need for the project”

In this episode, we sit down with Jill Fairbank from CCSA to discuss her journey leading the Improving Treatment Together Project (ITT). Listen as we explore the disparities in opioid research that sparked the initial idea for the project, the impact of co-designed research on youth outcomes, and how the work of the project has been bridging the gap between what we know and what we do.

Correction: Jill has been working at CCSA since 2016. The ITT Project started in 2018.

About the author

Jill Fairbank is a Senior Knowledge Broker at the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. She has been leading the Improving Treatment Together (ITT) project in partnership with Foundry in BC and Alberta Health Services since its inception. The project’s aim is to improve youths' opioid treatment service experiences and outcomes by co-developing, implementing, and measuring youth-centred opioid use treatment service innovations. Jill has worked in the knowledge mobilization field for over a decade and is excited about the potential of co-designing with youth and families as a more inclusive approach to solve complex system challenges.

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