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DTES RESEARCH
ACCESS PORTAL
Take five: COVID-19 and the DTES
By Nick Ubels
Community Engagement Librarian
UBC Learning Exchange
Take five is a series that highlights items in the Downtown Eastside Research Access Portal (DTES RAP) collection, and sometimes beyond, about a particular topic. We hope this introduction provides a good starting point for your research. If you need any help finding items in the collection, please contact community engagement librarian Nick Ubels at nick.ubels@ubc.ca
I’ve put together a list of five items from the DTES RAP collection about COVID-19 and the DTES that you might like to check out. As more research takes place in the DTES during the COVID-19 pandemic, we will add more items to the portal.
You can learn more about UBC research responses to COVID-19, including a list of projects in progress. If you find a research item you’d like to suggest for the collection, please email mrai.info@ubc.ca.
These items listed below are based on information available when they were created. For the latest public health information, visit the COVID-19 pages from Vancouver Coastal Health and the BC Centre for Disease Control.
1. COVID-19 in homeless populations: unique challenges and opportunities
The authors of this editorial published in Future Medicine discuss the unique circumstances of people experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. People who are more susceptible to serious infection may also face challenges following public health guidance to stay home and maintain distance from others. Read more of their discussion.
2. A tale of two crises: call for communicative action in the Downtown Eastside
Systemic disadvantages were made worse by reduced essential services in the Downtown Eastside at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. And yet stories of community resilience shine through in this editorial written by Daniel R.Y. Gan for the Simon Fraser University Gerontology Research Centre News. Read more via the DTES RAP.
3. Research brief: DTES drop-in reopening
I wrote this research brief to bring together important information for DTES drop-in spaces to consider when planning to re-open. It includes a summary of key areas to address, planning tools, steps to reduce risk of transmission, and other resources. Read more of this concise snapshot.
4. Why BC’s illicit drugs are increasingly deadly
Jen St. Denis is the DTES reporter with The Tyee. She investigated why fatal drug poisoning has surged during the coronavirus pandemic. Read about how border closures and insufficient safe supply have contributed to greater risks for people who use drugs in this article.
5. Addressing trauma in substance use disorder: a critical gap in service amplified by COVID-19
Alana Hirsh, a family physician with the Portland Hotel Society, writes about the urgent need to address trauma and substance use. Isolation due to COVID-19 has made this an even more pressing issue. Read her editorial in the Canadian Family Physician.
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Do you have questions or feedback about this article? Do you have an idea for the news section? Please reach out to community engagement librarian Nick Ubels at nick.ubels@ubc.ca.
