STBBI Policy and Guideline Development for BC Corrections

The You Matter Pathways to STBBI Care project is funded through the Public Health Agency of Canada and is being run through the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) in partnership with BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services (BCMHSUS) and many other collaborators.

The project’s vision is to create policy and guidelines for STBBI testing and linkage to care for BC Provincial Correctional Centres. This work is being done with input from key stakeholders, including people with lived or living experience with incarceration (PWLLE-I), BC Correctional Officers, health care providers; researchers, and representatives from community organizations that serve people affected. Stakeholders have been involved in designing, conducting, and/or participating educational “workshop” engagements on STBBIs.

In Phase 1, due to COVID-19 restrictions, engagements consisted of virtual engagements or one-to-one surveys, included basic STBBI facts, and asked participants about their perspectives on multiple aspects of STBBI testing in correctional facilities. This information will be used to inform the initial draft of the STBBI guidelines.

In Phase 2, key stakeholders will again be engaged to provide input into the draft guidelines and be considered in the final product.