May 11, 2022 PRESS RELEASE [for immediate release] 360NPLC announces $799,671 for expansion of Safer Supply Program
The Safer Supply Program (SSP) is part of a broader response to the drug poisoning crisis that claimed the lives of 44 Peterborough, ON residents in 2021. This amendment from Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) will fund a 50-person SSP located at the 360 Degree Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic (360NPLC). This program will increase the harm reduction options available to people who use drugs (PWUD) in our community. The SSP will provide an opportunity to engage participants in a new, innovative, and positive manner, with the participants’ individual goals at the centre of their care. A team consisting of health, social, and harm reduction service providers will serve participants through a gradual enrollment process beginning May 2022. Participants will have access to primary healthcare and social services both internally and through partner organizations.
In partnership with the Trent/Fleming School of Nursing, research examining the enablers and barriers to opioid agonist therapy (OAT) and safer supply has provided a framework for understanding the needs of PWUD. The outcomes of this research are informing the creation of the SSP in Peterborough, ON. The SSP is engaging with a local external evaluator and a national third-party evaluator to research and review the outcomes of the program for participants, staff, and the community. Throughout the year the SSP will refine their local approach, create a local community of practice, and share knowledge about how this emerging practice might be offered in other small communities across the province and country. Dr. Thomas Piggott, Peterborough Public Health’s Medical Officer of Health, responded to this news: “Expanding access to safer supply, a key harm reduction strategy in the context of a toxic drug supply, is an incredibly important opportunity to support people who use drugs in the Peterborough region and decrease the harms of the evolving crisis. I commend the Peterborough 360 Degree Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic for their leadership in supporting this population.”
In support of this program, Acting Chief of Police Tim Farquharson responded: “We are very excited to see this added piece of harm reduction brought into this community. Safer Supply is a critical tool for people who use drugs and Peterborough Police is very supportive of our partners at Peterborough 360 Degree Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic who initiated this program within our community.”
The 360NPLC is a primary care organization made up of an interdisciplinary team who are focused on improving health equity and access to the social determinants of health.
For more information, please contact Nancy Henderson at 249-387-0860 or nancy.henderson@nplc.ca
360NPLC announces $799,671 for expansion of Safer Supply Program
