Bringing more coordination to PHSA’s response to the toxic drug crisis
For her entire career, Kacey Dalzell has been passionate about helping people who have mental health and substance use concerns.
From her time as a research analyst with an early psychosis intervention program to her more recent policy work with the provincial government and regional health authorities, Kacey Dalzell has been working to change the health-care system so that it better supports people living with mental health and substance use concerns.
Last June, she brought her deep knowledge of B.C.'s health-care system and her skills as a connector and collaborator to BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services (BCMHSUS) and PHSA. As the first-ever executive director, Drug Toxicity Prevention and Response, she's tasked with consolidating PHSA’s response to the toxic drug crisis.
"There is a lot of good work going on here at BCMHSUS, as well as at BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), BC Emergency Health Services and other program areas. But given the size of PHSA, these efforts weren't always coordinated," says Kacey. "We serve some of the most vulnerable populations in the province and we have an important role to play in reducing toxic drug events."
Kacey is supported by staff from PHSA’s Transformational Leadership Office. As a team, they set out to establish a PHSA Collaborative Steering Committee. Co-chaired by leadership at BCCDC, the committee has members from across the organization. The team also conducted a broad current state of all actions underway using the Provincial Substance Use Framework as a guide. They also brought together analytics leads as part of a Data Working Group to understand shared opportunities for analysis.
"Bringing this committee together has helped individual committee members see where they have a role in this work," says Kacey. "And it really highlighted for me how much internal capacity we already have. Having this group to tap into really helps us recognize different perspectives and accountabilities to support innovation and collaborative efforts."
The team's review of PHSA's current efforts against the Provincial Substance Use Framework also highlighted where, as an organization, additional energy needed to be focused.
"One of the findings was the need for more consistent education across all staff at PHSA regarding harm reduction and working with persons who use substances. We learned we don't have a common language at PHSA," says Kacey.
With steering committee input and the current state analysis providing a strategic framework, Kacey and the team are working on opportunities to make a tangible impact.
"My first year was really about learning, listening and relationship building," says Kacey. "Now that we have a better sense of where we need to focus, I want to dig deeper and learn more about the individual needs within those population groups so we can scale up system-wide changes."
Looking ahead, Kacey plans to develop a set of strategic indicators to guide ongoing work across PHSA. The indicators will be tailored to various clinical programs. She will continue to liaise with the Ministry of Health to ensure ongoing coordination between PHSA's efforts and provincial government initiatives. For example, she will work to improve access to complex care housing for people transitioning from Correctional Health Services to the community.
"People who don't have safe housing are at higher risk of a drug-related event," Kacey notes.
Another priority is to develop a research agenda for her program and build capacity to translate that research into practice.
"My goal is to see a reduction in the number of adverse drug events in B.C.," says Kacey. "If we keep finding opportunities and solutions and implementing changes, we will make an impact."