Taija McLuckie: Episode 9: Death, Grief & Thoughts on Project

Unsilencing Stories

In this episode, Taija McLuckie talks to Caitlin Burritt about death and grief. Taija shares about the passing of her friend and her own approach to dealing with grief. She also speaks about the challenges that the holiday season presents for people who use drugs and how her lived experience helps her connect with the people in her community.
Glossary:
Brave COOP: The cooperative of people responsible for creating the Brave Sensor
Brave Sensor: An Overdose Detection tool for public bathrooms
CAT: Community Action Team
Decriminalization: A three year pilot project which began on January 31, 2023,which exempts adults carrying small amounts of illicit drugs from being subject to arrest or criminal charges.
Downtown Eastside: The Downtown Eastside is a neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, known for having a large unhoused population, many of whom are affected by substance use disorder.
Mobile Response Team: An outreach team in Taija’s community, created to support frontline workers during the Opioid Crisis
Moms Stop The Harm: A network of Canadian families impacted by substance-use-related harms and deaths, which advocates to end substance use related stigma, harms and death.
NA: Narcotics Anonymous
Naloxone: A medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose.
OAT: Opioid agonist therapy
VIHA: Vancouver Island Health Authority (also referred to as Island Health)
This episode was recorded on January 16, 2023.