HIV and drug overdose: perspectives on risk of overdose and access to health care among people living with HIV in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Authors

Silke Hansen, Surita Parashar, Miriam Muirhead, Wayne Campbell, Navneet Kaur Gill, Glyn Townson, Melanie Grace Medina, Hazel Cardinal, Katherine W Kooij, Delilah Gregg, Michael O Budu, Sandy Lambert, Claudette Cardinal, Valerie Nicholson, Robert S Hogg, Kathleen Inglis

Published in

AIDS care. Pages 1-16. Aug 31, 2026. Epub Aug 31, 2026.

Abstract

Drug toxicity and overdose remain major public health concerns in British Columbia (BC), with People Living With HIV (PLWH) experiencing disproportionately high rates of nonfatal and fatal overdose due to intersecting social and structural inequities. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these vulnerabilities and introduced challenges that impacted health care delivery and prevention efforts, with lasting repercussions. This qualitative study explored perceptions of overdose risk and access to post-overdose care among PLWH who use drugs and the Health Care Providers (HCPs) who support them in Vancouver, BC. Across 10 focus groups and 14 interviews, 38 PLWH and 28 HCPs representing diverse professional backgrounds participated. We conducted an inductive thematic analysis of focus group and interview transcripts. Findings highlight how overlapping public health crises, the toxic drug supply, HIV and the pandemic affect overdose risk and care experiences. Participants expressed confidence in BC's HIV treatment and support systems; however, this was offset by challenges in the form of stigma and pandemic-related disruptions, which amplified care avoidance and hindered access to essential services. Integrating HIV care with overdose prevention, mental health services and harm reduction, supported by trauma-informed training, may improve post-overdose engagement and bolster service resilience, including during future public health emergencies.

PMID:
42671469
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 01 Sep 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.