Safer Supply Research
Overview
Co/Lab team members at the University of Victoria are part of a provincial consortium of researchers investigating safer supply models in British Columbia. Links to findings and publications will be posted here as they become available.
Research projects
Mixed methods evaluation of safer supply initiatives to reduce illicit drug overdose in BC
People who use drugs in BC continue to face unacceptable levels of risk and harm because of the toxic drug supply. The provincial public health emergency related to overdoses is now in its seventh year, with communities experiencing record high rates of overdose and a crisis worsened by COVID-19. Safer supply initiatives (in which people access pharmaceutical grade substances or a regulated supply) are one way that the government and communities are responding to this crisis. This study will evaluate the ongoing implementation and outcomes of safer supply initiatives in BC, including both prescriber-based and grassroots-led models.
Evaluation of the Victoria SAFER program
The Victoria SAFER program offers pharmaceutical alternatives to the toxic unregulated drug supply, prioritizing people who are unhoused in Victoria, British Columbia. It was developed and is operated by AVI Health and Community Services. This participatory evaluation, conducted in partnership with AVI Health and Community Services and SOLID Outreach, has been ongoing since the program began in 2020. It is focused on informing and evaluating the service model and outcomes, as the program continues to evolve in response to the toxic drug supply and local needs.
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Urbanoski, K.A., van Roode, T., Selfridge, M. et al. Access and barriers to safer supply prescribing during a toxic drug emergency: a mixed methods study of implementation in British Columbia, Canada. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy 19, 44 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13011-024-00625-7
McCall, J., Hobbs, H., Ranger, C. et al. Prescribed safer supply during dual public health emergencies: a qualitative study examining service providers perspectives on early implementation. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 19, 19 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13011-024-00598-7
Slaunwhite, A., Min, J. E., Palis, H., Urbanoski, K., Pauly, B., Barker, B., Crabtree, A., Bach, P., Krebs, E., Dale, L., Meilleur, L. & Nosyk, B. (2024). Effect of Risk Mitigation Guidance opioid and stimulant dispensations on mortality and acute care visits during dual public health emergencies: retrospective cohort study BMJ 2024; 384 :e076336 doi:10.1136/bmj-2023-07633
Macevicius, C., Gudiño Pérez, D., Norton, A., Kolla, G., Beck-McGreevy, P., Selfridge, M., Kalicum, J., Hutchison, A., Urbanoski, K., Barker, B., Slaunwhite, A., Nosyk, B., & Pauly, B. (2023) Just have this come from their prescription pad: the medicalization of safer supply from the perspectives of health planners in BC, Canada, Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy (email colab@uvic.ca to request a copy).
Beck McGreevy, P., Wood, S., Thomson, E. et al. Doing community-based research during dual public health emergencies (COVID and overdose). Harm Reduction Journal.
Urbanoski, K., Barker, B., Beck McGreevy P., Slaunwhite, A., Pauly, B. 2022. Correspondence: The North American opioid crisis: evidence and nuance on prescribed safer supply. The Lancet.
Selfridge, M., Kiffer, C., Kandler, T., Flanagan, E., Lerhe, E., Heaslip, A., Nguyen, A., Moher, M. Pauly, B., Urbanoski, K., Fraser, C. 2022. Factors associated with 60-day adherence to “safer supply” opioids prescribed under British Columbia’s interim clinical guidance for health care providers to support people who use drugs during COVID-19 and the ongoing overdose emergency. International Journal of Drug Policy.
B. Pauly, J. McCall, F. Cameron, H. Stuart, H. Hobbs, G. Sullivan, et al. 2022. A concept mapping study of service user design of safer supply as an alternative to the illicit drug market. International Journal of Drug Policy.
B. Nosyk, A. Slaunwhite, K. Urbanoski, N. Hongdilokkul, H. Palis, K. Lock, et al. 2021. Evaluation of risk mitigation measures for people with substance use disorders to address the dual public health crises of COVID-19 and overdose in British Columbia: a mixed-method study protocol. BMJ Open.
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Co/Lab Community of Practice: Safer Supply; Evidence and Models for Future Practice
Co/Lab Community of Practice: Moving beyond medicalized safe supply
Co/Lab Community of Practice: A Gendered Analysis of Prescribed Safer Supply in BC
Co/Lab Community of Practice: Risk Mitigation Guidance (RMG) Study
National Safer Supply Community of Practice webinar: Effect of Risk Mitigation Guidance on Mortality and Acute Care Visits, with Dr. Karen Urbanoski and Dr. Brittany Barker.