Peer support program to match overdose victims with former users

A support program in Guelph'sStonehenge Therapeutic Community is planning to take a different approach to help those who have experienced an overdose by matching them up with a peer support worker who is a former user.

The idea for the program came after Stonehenge's executive director, Heather Kerr, attended an awards ceremonyinWashington D.C., in March 2017 while she took part in theInternational Community Corrections Association conference, talking about Canada's response tothe opioid crisis.

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She told CBC'sThe Morning Editionthe inspiration came after hearing about a program calledAnchor ED based out ofNew Hampshire in the U.S.,one of the five recipients at the award ceremony.

"They talked about the program and I was just inspired," Kerr said. "I thought, 'This is what we need in Ontario.'"

Peer support is key

Kerr explainedone of the most important componentsof the program is havingpeer support right after "the biggest scare of their life."

"I think the peer brings a different level of hope and credibility," she said, as the peer support worker has walked in the shoes of the person who has overdosed.

"I've worked in the field a long time, I've trained in addiction work but I don't bring the same credibility. I can't walk into that ER and say, 'I've had that experience. I've had an overdose. I've been where you are,'" she said.

The peer support worker can also be a form of inspiration as a living example of recovery.

'Each community is different'

Guelph'sprogram won't be exactly like Anchor ED, Kerr said.Their program will differ depending on community needs as they plan to also launch the program in Waterloo region and surrounding rural communities.

"It will follow the concept but each community is different," she said. "We hope to work with community partners and shape it to each community based on what their needs are and what the folks in the community tell us they would like it to look like."

The Guelph program will be similar to the one in the U.S., where either first responders or ER staff will reach out for a support worker to come in moments after a person wakes up from an overdose.

Though the program is still in its infancy, Kerr said they are in talks with a local hospital and community partners to begin the process.

She said she hopes to have the program running in the next few months.