InnerChange Foundation: Welcome

"We must move beyond funding to investing, beyond inputs to outcomes, and beyond managing the crisis to ending the disgrace"

- Philip F Mangano, Executive Director, US Interagency Council on Homelessness

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Addiction in both its socially accepted forms, like alcohol, nicotine, and prescription drug addiction, and in its illegal forms, such as illicit substance abuse and excessive behaviors is one of the most significant worldwide health challenges we face today, as it has devastating medical, social, and economic consequences. Addiction and mental illness are the leading cause of combined disability and death among women and the second highest cause among men. The need for new and integrative treatment approaches for substance dependant populations is extremely demanding because of the complex occurrence of severe mental illness with life threatening physical diseases in combination with the harmful use of psychotropic substances. In Vancouver's downtown eastside, intravenous drug users are at the highest risk for contracting life threatening diseases like HIV, Endocarditis and Hepatitis C.

Clinical research conducted in Europe and elsewhere strongly indicates that there is a more effective approach to the problem of drug addiction in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

The Board of Directors of InnerChange Foundation believes that new and innovative treatment modalities must be developed utilizing science-based evidence and pragmatic approaches, benefiting from well-documented, positive experiences in other cities.

Role of InnerChange Foundation

  1. Supporting research in evidence based, innovative and integrated therapies for drug addiction and concurrent disorders. The goal of the research which InnerChange supports is to provide effective, integrated 'exit strategies' for chronically addicted individuals to end their drug dependency, while recognizing and respecting the differing situations of addicted individuals.
  2. Supporting public outreach and school based education programs surrounding drug addiction and concurrent disorders
  3. Advocacy for increased funding for substitution research, and the establishment of a BC Centre for Excellence in Addiction and Concurrent Disorders.

A more integrated, client centered delivery of services and programs in the areas of housing, mental health and addiction is needed. InnerChange Foundation believes that we can no longer separate these into isolated silos. New and more creative approaches must be developed for homeless addicts that will require a better understanding of the issues this population faces.

Our Origins

The genesis of InnerChange Society, founded in 2007, was to support the CAST clinical trials (Chronic Addiction Substitution Trials) to improve the treatment outcomes of chronically drug addicted individuals, with a significant emphasis on advocating for integrated psycho/social treatment and individualized case management. Although InnerChange Foundation recognizes the differing situations of individuals, ending drug dependency has always been the ultimate goal of the research which we support.

InnerChange Foundation is now supporting five clinical research trials, public education and outreach programs, and advocating for the establishment of a BC Centre for Excellence in Addiction and Concurrent Disorders, bringing international leading edge research and expertise to Vancouver in the area of severe addiction and concurrent disorders.

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