Future of Canada’s first-ever ‘safer supply’ drug program uncertain with funding set to end in spring
A London physician says she and others are torn between continuing prescribing drugs to their patients living with addiction, or weaning them off as federal safer supply funding is set to end in March with no word of renewal.
Ottawa invested $9.5 million in prescribed safer supply programs nationwide in 2020 as part of efforts to combat the opioid crisis. A $6.5 million boost went to London Intercommunity Health Centre, which at that point had been running Canada’s first-ever safe supply program for four years.
The funding went to hiring more nurses, case managers, care facilitators, social workers, outreach workers and housing workers who helped expand the patient roster to 274 current participants. Head physician Dr. Andrea Sereda said she fears those individuals will be put into danger should they suddenly lose access to the care they’ve come to depend on.
“They will return almost certainly to the fentanyl-based unregulated street supply, where their risk of death from overdose or infection, or the consequences of criminalization of drug use, will drastically increase,” said Sereda.
Sereda is among 130 experts in substance use who have signed a letter urging the federal government to continue and increase its support as the drug toxicity overdose crisis worsens. In all, funding is expected to end for 21 safer supply programs in the spring.
read more – https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/canada-safe-supply-london-ontario-federal-funding-1.7071004