We’re so proud to announce that our iOAT Clinic clinical lead, Ellery Cleveland, has been recognized by the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) for her leadership in providing substance use care!
Ellery was presented with the BCCSU’s Interdisciplinary Clinical Excellence Award at last week’s provincial conference, where researchers, health care professionals, and service providers from across BC met to review emerging substance use research and best practices.
The annual award is presented to a clinician who has demonstrated exemplary leadership supporting the implementation of evidence-based practice, and who champions substance use care education and training. Ellery’s colleagues nominated her for her this award, citing Ellery’s advocacy work, clinical knowledge, and willingness to provide care in a way that meets every person where they are at in their substance use journey, with special attention to keeping people in qathet from slipping between the cracks.
“We are so proud that Ellery was selected from across the province to receive this award,” our Executive Director, Stu, says. “The recognition is well deserved. Ellery is extremely dedicated to furthering research and knowledge-sharing of substance use care and is an incredible advocate and model for people who use substances to be treated with compassion and dignity.”
Ellery started her career in harm reduction at AIDS Vancouver Island in 2010 as a volunteer, then worked as a nurse at Insite, North America’s first sanctioned safe injection site located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
After moving to qathet Region in 2019, she worked with Vancouver Coastal Health’s Intensive Case Management team, before joining our team in 2021 where she played a key role in establishing the iOAT Clinic.
“Ellery’s knowledge and experience was instrumental to getting this program established,” says our Community Development Manager, Kathryn. “She helped qathet Region become the first community in a remote coastal setting to offer this type of evidence-based substance use treatment.”
Ellery recently completed an Addiction Nurse fellowship with the BCSSU in 2021. Locally, she’s been key to coordinating a research study aimed at generating data on rural substance use to bring more resources to the community. She is increasingly recognized as a leader in overdose response throughout the province, and was recently invited to co-author a provincial toolkit on nurse-assisted injection support.
“The work she does is largely unseen by the community,” Stu adds, “but she is an incredible asset – not just to Lift and to the people she supports daily, but to the community and province. She’s a true leader in the growing field of substance use care, and we are so happy to be able to celebrate her contributions today.”