ABOUT US

HaRT is a group of people working throughout the Okanagan, including UBCO, to reduce the harms of substance use and related policies.

HaRT is an initiative of UBCO’s Campus Wellness and Education Unit. We provide resources to campus and community members. HaRT is a collective of students, health and social workers, researchers, and harm reduction experts – this group includes people who use drugs. We work with communities to create, deliver, research, and promote harm reduction interventions (e.g., toxic drug response training, naloxone training, drug-checking, smoking/vaping cessation).

HaRT was formed in 2020 in response to a lack of harm reduction resources. Interior Health and the BC Centre on Substance Use came alongside HaRT to provide training and resources for drug-checking. Now, Interior Health funds HaRT to operate 4 days/week in Kelowna, UBC funds HaRT’s work on campus, and we receive numerous operational and research grants each year. We continue to work closely with the BC Centre on Substance Use and other drug-checking programs.