Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

More than 38,000 people have died due to the drug toxicity crisis in Canada since 2016. The federal government's response to this health emergency is through a four-pillar model, which includes prevention, enforcement, treatment, and harm reduction. Looking at harm reduction specifically, services such as needle exchange programs and overdose prevention sites have been developed by and for people who use drugs, with overall positive outcomes for the communities in which they exist. Prescribed safer supply programs have appeared as a response based on harm reduction by providing people who use drugs with a pharmaceutical-grade alternatives to the toxic street supply of drugs, along with access to health care connections and social support. The problem is that these programs are difficult to scale up within the existing medical model. Through partnership with a community research team made up of people who use drugs, I will conduct a case study to understand the facilitators, barriers, and potential outcomes of community-led safer supply models. I will use techniques such as interviewing, observation, policy and procedure analysis, and historical document and artifact analysis to inform a comprehensive analysis of the gaps such programs fill. This research will provide examples of safer supply models that do not require having a formal opioid use disorder diagnosis or require a prescription from a doctor to receive the medication. The results will contribute to health care by providing an understanding of the needs of people who use drugs, a model that is responsive during a health emergency, ideas for how to create new programs, and a contribution to the public conversation about safer supply. This study is important for people who use drugs, service providers, service leaders, policy makers, and all people living in Canada since the devastating impacts of the drug toxicity crisis are so far-reaching.