Precarious work on the rise.

Precarious employment (PE) is non-standard employment with uncertain and unstable contract duration, low wages, and limited labour protections and rights. Research has associated PE with workers' poor mental health and well-being; however, this association has been studied primarily using quantitative methods. This qualitative study seeks to examine the mechanisms between PE and mental health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada.

Working Conditions, Worker Rights, and Managerial Domination During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Assessing Their Toll on Precariously Employed Workers and Family Well-Being.

Precarious Employment (PE) is characterized by job, income, and benefit insecurities. Studies surrounding PE and well-being have been predominantly quantitative, leaving a gap in rich descriptions of employment experiences. We recruited a sample of 40 adults aged 25-55 who were involved in PE during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic or lost employment due to the pandemic.

A rapid review of current engagement strategies with people who use drugs in monitoring and reporting on substance use-related harms.

Background: The Canadian drug supply has significantly increased in toxicity over the past few years, resulting in the worsening of the overdose crisis. A key initiative implemented during this crisis has been data monitoring and reporting of substance use-related harms (SRH). This literature review aims to: (1) identify strategies used for the meaningful engagement of people who use drugs (PWUD) in local, provincial, and national SRH data system planning, reporting, and action and (2) describe data monitoring and reporting strategies and common indicators of SRH within those systems.

An evaluation of an employment assistance program focused on people living with HIV in Toronto, Canada.

Unemployment is more common among people living with HIV (PLWH) compared to the general population. PLWH who are employed have better physical and mental health outcomes compared to unemployed PLWH. The main objective of this mixed-methods study was to conduct a program evaluation of Employment Action (EACT), a community-based program that assists PLWH in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to maintain meaningful employment.

'I don't chase drugs as much anymore, and I'm not dead': Client reported outcomes associated with safer opioid supply programs in Ontario, Canada.

Introduction: The ongoing opioid overdose crisis, which has killed over 30,000 people in Canada since 2016, is driven by the volatility of an unregulated opioid drug supply comprised primarily of fentanyl. The Canadian government has recently funded safer opioid supply (SOS) programs, which include off-label prescriptions of pharmaceutical-grade opioids to high risk individuals with the goal of reducing overdose deaths.

Methods: In 2021, we examined the implementation and adaption of four SOS programs in Ontario.

Healthcare system action on employment as a social determinant of health in people living with HIV: A qualitative study.

Background: Employment is a key social determinant of health. People living with HIV (PLWH) have higher unemployment rates than the general population. Vocational rehabilitation services have been shown to have significant and positive impact on employment status for PLWH.

Community reinforcement approach (CRA) supported with structured recreation therapy: Experiences of people living with HIV in a pilot substance use treatment program at a specialty hospital.

Introduction: Community reinforcement approach (CRA) is a behavioral intervention that has demonstrated favorable treatment outcomes for individuals with substance use disorders across studies. CRA focuses on abstinence; however, abstinence is not a desired goal among all people who use substances. Previous research has called for harm reduction-oriented treatment programs, especially within hospital settings.

Spotting as a risk mitigation method: A qualitative study comparing organization-based and informal methods.

Objectives: To explore the similarities and differences of organization-based and informal spotting (remote supervision of substance use) from the perspectives of spotters and spottees across Canada.

Methods: Spotters and spottees who spot informally and for organizations were recruited across Ontario and Nova Scotia. We interviewed 20 informal and 10 organization-based participants by phone using semi-structured interviews between 08/2020 and 11/2020.

Assessing program fidelity to critically reflect on the suitability of Critical Time Intervention to facilitate exiting sex work.

An emerging approach to facilitating exiting sex work is through applying the Critical Time Intervention [CTI] model. CTI represents a time-limited approach that supports marginalized individuals during periods of transition. We performed a fidelity assessment as part of a process evaluation of Exit Doors Here [EDH], a program supporting women who wish to exit sex work.

COVID-19 and the opportunity for gender-responsive virtual and remote substance use treatment and harm reduction services.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the uptake of virtual and remote service delivery in the substance use field, which was previously uncommon. This swift uptake of virtual services provides an opportunity to improve service design to meet the diverse needs of women and gender-diverse people. Such services have the potential to better meet the needs of women and gender-diverse people by allowing for increased choice, control, and autonomy, enabling empowerment, facilitating greater considerations of power relations, violence, childcare responsibilities, and fostering greater inclusion of trans and non-binary people.

A comparison of the COVID-19 response for urban underserved patients experiencing healthcare transitions in three Canadian cities.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic and response has highlighted existing strengths within the system of care for urban underserved populations, but also many fault lines, in particular during care transitions. The objectives of this study were to describe COVID-19 response policies for urban underserved populations in three Canadian cities; examine how these policies impact continuity of care for urban underserved populations; determine whether and how urban underserved community members were engaged in policy processes; and develop policy and operational recommendations for optimizing continuity of care for urban underserved populations during public health crises.

Methods: Using Walt & Gilson's Policy Triangle framework as a conceptual guide, 237 policy and media documents were retrieved.

"With a PICC line, you never miss": The role of peripherally inserted central catheters in hospital care for people living with HIV/HCV who use drugs.

Background: People who use drugs (PWUD), and especially those who inject drugs, are at increased risk of acquiring bloodborne infections (e.g., HIV and HCV), experiencing drug-related harms (e.

A qualitative study on overdose response in the era of COVID-19 and beyond: how to spot someone so they never have to use alone.

Background: Spotting is an informal practice among people who use drugs (PWUD) where they witness other people using drugs and respond if an overdose occurs. During COVID-19 restrictions, remote spotting (e.g.

Developing a digital health strategy for people who use drugs: Lessons from COVID-19.

COVID-19 has significantly exacerbated negative health and social outcomes for people who use drugs (PWUD) around the world. The closure of harm reduction services, ongoing barriers to employment and housing, and pre-existing physical and mental health conditions have increased harms for diverse communities of PWUD. Adapting current models of health and human service delivery to better meet the needs of PWUD is essential in minimizing not only COVID-19 but also drug-related morbidity and mortality.

Double Jeopardy: Maintaining Livelihoods or Preserving Health? The Tough Choices Sex Workers Faced during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health preventive measures such as lockdown and home confinement have posed unique challenges to female sex workers (FSW) globally, including in Canada where the sex trade is not formally recognized. In this commentary, we discuss the unintended consequences the pandemic has had on various social determinants of health among FSW. We draw on a review of scholarly and grey literature, complemented by our experience with the Exit Doors Here program, a sex work exiting program implemented in Toronto, Canada.

Scanning and synthesizing Canadian policies that address the school-to-work transition of youth and young adults with disabilities.

Background: Disability faced by a young person can impact the school-to-work transition and shape health and well-being over the life course. Unique barriers to entry and advancement within the labor market that are relevant to young people with disabilities underscore the need for tailored policy-level supports.

Objectives: To examine and describe policies that support the school-to-work transition of young people with disabilities in Canada.

Exploring different methods to evaluate the impact of basic income interventions: a systematic review.

Background: Persistent income inequality, the increase in precarious employment, the inadequacy of many welfare systems, and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have increased interest in Basic Income (BI) interventions. Ensuring that social interventions, such as BI, are evaluated appropriately is key to ensuring their overall effectiveness. This systematic review therefore aims to report on available methods and domains of assessment, which have been used to evaluate BI interventions.

Finding opportunity in the COVID-19 crisis: prioritizing gender in the design of social protection policies.

The COVID-19 pandemic is highlighting the harm perpetuated by gender-blind programs for marginalized citizens, including sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) and cisgender women. Gender-blind programs are known to augment harms associated with violence and structural stigmatization by reinforcing rather than challenging unequal systems of power. The intersecting marginalization of these populations with systems of class, race, and settler-colonialism is exacerbating the impact that policies such as physical distancing, school closures, and a realignment of healthcare priorities are having on the wellbeing of these populations.

A gap in knowledge surrounding urban housing interventions: a call for gender redistribution.

Using gender-sensitive (ensures that resource distribution considers gender) and gender-redistributive (aims to develop balanced gendered relationships through redistributing resources) analytic lenses in urban health interventions is long overdue. The social construction of gender and its impact on the health of marginalized women, especially women who experience homelessness within urban settings is frequently overlooked. Housing research, programs, and policies too often fail to utilize gender redistributive frameworks-perpetuating gendered harm for many.

COVID-19 Economic Response and Recovery: A Rapid Scoping Review.

This rapid scoping review of existing evidence and research gaps addressed the following question: what research evidence exists and what are the research gaps at global, regional, and national levels on interventions to protect jobs, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and formal/informal sector workers in socioeconomic response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic? The results are based on 79 publications deemed eligible for inclusion after the screening and prioritizing of 1,658 records. The findings are organized according to the 3 main categories of socioeconomic interventions-protecting jobs, enterprises, and workers-although the 3 are intertwined. Most results were derived from global-level gray literature with recommendations for interventions and implicit links to the sustainable development goals.

A qualitative study of barriers to employment experienced by people living with HIV in Toronto and Ottawa.

Background: Effective treatment has extended the life expectancy and reduced disability in people living with HIV (PLWH). However, previous research has found 45-65% of working-age PLWH were unemployed compared to 5-10% in the general public of North America and Europe. We examined the barriers to gaining employment among PLWH.