"If it wasn't for them, I don't think I would be here": experiences of the first year of a safer supply program during the dual public health emergencies of COVID-19 and the drug toxicity crisis.

BACKGROUND: In response to the devastating drug toxicity crisis in Canada driven by an unregulated opioid supply predominantly composed of fentanyl and analogues, safer supply programs have been introduced. These programs provide people using street-acquired opioids with prescribed, pharmaceutical opioids. We use six core components of safer supply programs identified by people who use drugs to explore participant perspectives on the first year of operations of a safer supply program in Victoria, BC, during the dual public health emergencies of COVID-19 and the drug toxicity crisis to examine whether the program met drug-user defined elements of an effective safer supply model. METHODS: This study used a community-based participatory research approach to ensure that the research was reflective of community concerns and priorities, rather than being extractive. We interviewed 16 safer supply program participants between December 2020 and June 2021. Analysis was structured using the six core components of effective safer supply from the perspective of people who use drugs, generated through a prior study. RESULTS: Ensuring access to the 'right dose and right drugs' of medications was crucial, with many participants reporting success with the available pharmaceutical options. However, others highlighted issues with the strength of the available medications and the lack of options for smokeable medications. Accessing the safer supply program allowed participants to reduce their use of drugs from unregulated markets and manage withdrawal, pain and cravings. On components related to program operations, participants reported receiving compassionate care, and that accessing the safer supply program was a non-stigmatizing experience. They also reported receiving support to find housing, access food, obtain ID, and other needs. However, participants worried about long term program sustainability. CONCLUSIONS: Participants in the safer supply program overwhelmingly appreciated it and felt it was lifesaving, and unlike other healthcare or treatment services they had previously accessed. Participants raised concerns that unless a wider variety of medications and ability to consume them by multiple routes of administration became available, safer supply programs would remain unable to completely replace substances from unregulated markets.

Treating people where they are: Nurse-led micro-elimination of hepatitis C in supported housing sites for networks of people who inject drugs in Victoria, Canada.

To achieve the World Health Organization's goal of eliminating hepatitis C (HCV) by 2030 requires enhanced HCV testing and treatment among people who use drugs (PWUD). Micro-elimination of HCV is a strategy to target HCV testing and treatment efforts to specific segments of the population. From February to December 2018 nurses initiated a "seek & treat" micro-elimination approach, increasing outreach and removing barriers to accessing HCV treatment in a clinic setting by testing and treating individuals, including PWUD, where they live. The aim of this study was to evaluate the proportion of clients with HCV antibodies and HCV RNA and the response to direct acting agent (DAA therapy) among people who live at or have social connections to local supportive housing sites through this nurse-led micro-elimination project in Victoria, Canada. A chart review of electronic medical records and case management documentation was used to collect relevant data of participants treated with DAA therapy, identified through specific housing site testing and outreach interventions. In total, 180 people were tested for HCV antibodies, 72 (40%) were antibody positive: 51 (28%) were RNA positive, 13 (7%) had spontaneously cleared and 8 (4%) had been previously treated. Of the 51 that were currently living with HCV, 43 people were started on treatment, 39 have achieved sustained virologic response (SVR). By providing treatment to clients in their homes and with their friends, clinicians have been able to treat clients, including those with limited contact with the health care system.

Exploring nurse-led HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis in a community health care clinic.

OBJECTIVES: Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) are 131 times more likely to acquire HIV compared with other Canadian men. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV has the potential to reduce or eliminate disparities in HIV acquisition among key affected populations. This paper aims to discuss the feasibility and utility of a nurse-led PrEP program administered by the Cool Aid Community Health Centre (CACHC) in Victoria, British Columbia as a public health PrEP program was initiated. DESIGN, SAMPLE AND MEASUREMENTS: A retrospective chart review of 124 gbMSM patients accessing PrEP at CACHC in 2018 collected information on patient demographics, STI testing results, and PrEP prescription pick-ups at 3 time points. RESULTS: Ninety-nine (79.8%) patients have continued on PrEP, as defined as having picked up their second 90-day PrEP prescription. Both older age and having an Sexually Transmitted Infection after PrEP enrolment were significantly associated with staying on PrEP; decreased risk perceptions contributed most to clinic-level discontinuance. Very few patients who stayed on PrEP have transitioned to their own General Practitioner. CONCLUSIONS: Patients appear to recognize their risk and are continuing on PrEP to reduce their risk of HIV. As evidenced by ability to recruit and maintain patients, we conclude that nurse-led PrEP at community health centres supports access and uptake of essential health services to optimize individual and population health.

'I just never wanted them to feel uncomfortable': Barriers to pharmacy-based identification and treatment of hepatitis C in Victoria, Canada.

Background: Canada is currently on target to reach the 2030 WHO goal of HCV elimination. Continued high rates of treatment are required to meet this goal. Novel models such as Tayside, Scotland pharmacy-based HCV screening and treatment have proven successful to engage people who use drugs (PWUD) in HCV therapy with a simplified, task-shifted cascade of care. This study seeks to determine whether these successes can be replicated at community pharmacies in Victoria BC. Methods: Four pharmacies who work with PWUD and provide opioid agonist therapy were trained to provide consent and perform point-of-care HCV antibody screening. They were supported by study nurse to link to HCV RNA testing when antibody positive patients were identified, with HCV treatment offered to RNA positive participants. Qualitative interviews were conducted with five pharmacy staff to explore experiences and feasibility of pharmacists in HCV care cascade. Results: Pharmacy staff completed 200 HCV OraQuick tests between October 2020 and June 2022: 65 HCV antibody positive, 29 HCV RNA negative (25 previously treated and 4 self-cleared). Of the 26 RNA positive participants, one is awaiting treatment, 25 people have started treatment, 22 achieving SVR. Although the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was a fundamental barrier incorporating HCV testing at pharmacies, stigma related to HCV and illicit drug use continues to impact this process. Conclusions: This innovative pharmacy-based approach found people with limited connection to primary health care to test and treat HCV but requires more training and support to be more widely feasible.

Access and barriers to safer supply prescribing during a toxic drug emergency: a mixed methods study of implementation in British Columbia, Canada.

BACKGROUND: In March 2020, British Columbia, Canada, introduced prescribed safer supply involving the distribution of pharmaceutical grade alternatives to the unregulated toxic drug supply. Prior research has demonstrated positive impacts on overdose mortality, but with limited reach to people who use substances. Objectives of this study were to (1) identify barriers to accessing safer supply prescribing among people who use substances; and (2) determine whether and how barriers differed between people with and without prescriptions, and between urban and rural settings. METHODS: We conducted a participatory mixed-methods study guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Participants (≥ 19 years old) had received a safer supply prescription or were seeking one (survey n = 353; interviews n = 54). RESULTS: Participants who had a prescription were more likely to be living in a large urban centre, compared to medium/smaller centres and rural areas (78.5% vs. 65.8%, standardized mean difference = 0.286). Participants who did not have a prescription were more likely to report an array of structural, interpersonal, and health-related barriers (compared to those who had a prescription). In interviews, participants linked experiences of barriers to stigma and criminalization, low availability of services, lack of information and prescribers, not being able to get what they need, and anxieties, worries and doubts stemming from personal circumstances. There were no notable differences between large urban centres and medium/smaller centres and rural areas in the presence of specific types of barriers. CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrate restricted access to safer supply prescribing outside of large urban centres and provide future targets for enhancing implementation. Attention is needed to promote equity and counter systemic barriers in the implementation of responses to the ongoing toxic drug emergency.

Young People Who Use Drugs Views Toward the Power and Authority of Police Officers.

Many young people who use drugs are structurally vulnerable to policing powers given the ongoing criminalization of drug possession. Police authority limits and the expression of that authority may play a significant role in police encounters among young people who use drugs. This qualitative study explores the views of young people who use drugs toward police power and authority in their recent encounters with police officers. Interviews were conducted with 38 young people who recently used illegal drugs in British Columbia, Canada. We found five interrelated themes related to perceptions of police authority: (1) skepticism and distrust toward authority; (2) paternalism and authority over drug use; (3) officer use of force; (4) police as power-hungry; and (5) officers above the law. Participants described police authority as limitless, unpredictable, untethered, easily abused, and lacking accountability. Participants feared holding police officers accountable to power abuses in a criminal justice system that they saw as stacked against them. Moving forward, institutional reforms may consider and account for the expression, limits, and use of police authority among young people who use drugs and other structurally vulnerable communities.

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.

AIMS: In March 2020, British Columbia issued Risk Mitigation Guidance (RMG) to support prescribing of pharmaceutical alternatives to illicit drugs, in order to reduce risk for COVID-19, overdose, and withdrawal among people who use drugs. This study evaluated factors associated with 60-day adherence to novel opioid alternatives prescribed at an inner-city health centre in Victoria, Canada. METHODS: A chart review was conducted to collect data on sociodemographic information, medical histories, and follow-up services among all clients prescribed novel opioid alternatives from March 2020-August 2020 (n = 286). Bivariable and multivariable regression were used to identify independent and adjusted factors associated with 60-day adherence. RESULTS: Overall, 77% of 286 clients were still receiving opioids after 60 days of follow-up. Medications included hydromorphone (n = 274), sustained-release oral morphine (n = 2), and oxycodone (n = 9). The adjusted odds of 60-day adherence to novel opioid alternatives were significantly higher for those receiving a mental health medication (aOR = 3.49, 95%CI = 1.26, 11.00), a higher maximum daily dosage of RMG prescriptions (aOR = 1.03 per mg increase, 95%CI = 1.01, 1.04), and those with continuous receipt of OAT (aOR = 6.25, 95%CI = 2.67, 15.90). CONCLUSIONS: Higher dosages and co-prescription of mental health medications and OAT may help support better adherence to this form of prescriber-based "safer supply". Further work is needed to identify optimal prescribing practices and the longer term impacts of differing implementation scenarios.

Reinfection following successful direct-acting antiviral therapy for HCV infection among people attending an inner-city community health centre in Victoria, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Studies of HCV reinfection following direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy among PWID have been limited by short follow-up and small case numbers. This study evaluated the incidence of HCV reinfection following successful DAA therapy among people attending an inner-city community health centre in Victoria, Canada. METHODS: In this observational study, participants treated with DAA therapy between November 2014 and December 31, 2019 were included. Retrospective chart review was performed to assess demographics, recent injecting drug use at treatment initiation (previous six months), opioid agonist treatment (OAT), and HIV. Endpoints included sustained virologic response (SVR), HCV reinfection, and mortality. RESULTS: Of 482 participants initiating DAA treatment, 30% were female, 46% were receiving OAT, 49% had recent injection drug use, 15% had HIV/HCV coinfection, and 22% had cirrhosis. Treatment completion was 97% (468/482; 12 discontinued therapy, and 2 died during treatment). SVR was 87% (418/482). Outcomes among those who completed treatment but did not achieve SVR (n=53), included loss to follow-up (n=11), HCV RNA for SVR testing not completed (n=18), viral relapse (n=6), reinfection (n=5) and viral recurrence (n=5, unable to distinguish viral relapse from reinfection), and death (n=7). The rate of HCV reinfection was 3.6/100 person-years (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.4-5.5; 22 cases; 602 person-years follow-up). Factors associated with an increased risk of HCV reinfection included recent injection drug use (adjusted relative risk [aRR] 8.55, 95% CI 1.98-36.96) and HIV co-infection (aRR 2.35, 95% CI 1.01-5.44). Fifty-five people died (overdose, n=19) during (n=2) or following (n=53) therapy (7.4/100 person-years; 95% CI 5.6-9.6). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates ongoing reinfection among a marginalized population at an inner-city community health centre, with higher rates among those with HIV and recent injecting drug use. The rates of reinfection and mortality highlight the importance of integrating HCV care with strategies to address drug-related harms.

Event-level outcomes of police interactions with young people in three non-metropolitan cities across British Columbia, Canada.

This study examines encounters between youth and police to identify individual, contextual, and social factors that predict the outcome of these encounters. Young people aged 16-30 years were surveyed between May 2017 and June 2018 in three non-metropolitan cities across British Columbia, Canada. Outcomes were analysed using multinomial logistic generalized estimating equations. A total of 675 encounters were reported by 360 participants. These outcomes resulted in participants being questioned (n = 227; 33.6%); given warnings (n = 132; 19.6%); being searched (n = 104; 15.4%); being given a ticket (n = 101; 15.0%); and being handcuffed or arrested (n = 111; 16.4%). Young Indigenous people (vs. white) were significantly more likely to be handcuffed or arrested (OR=3.26; 1.43, 7.43). Statistical significance held after adjusting for history of police encounters and contextual factors. Findings suggest that police discretion, which has the potential to benefit youth, may be undermined by discriminatory applications of discretion.

"It's like super structural" - Overdose experiences of youth who use drugs and police in three non-metropolitan cities across British Columbia.

INTRODUCTION: Youth who use drugs (YWUD) are vulnerable to experience or encounter drug related overdose deaths. Fentanyl has increased the risks, calling greater attention to overdose. In response, there have been increases in harm reduction services and policies such as the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act (GSDOA) which exempts people who witness an overdose and call 9-1-1 from being charged for possession of drugs. However, fear of police continues to be a barrier to calling 9-1-1. This paper focuses on the experiences of youth with police in overdose situations and their knowledge of GSDOA. METHODS: Youth, aged 16-30, who had used drugs at least weekly, and had encountered police in the past year were recruited between May 2017 and June 2018 in three non-metropolitan cities in British Columbia, Canada. 38 participants completed qualitative interviews asking them about their experiences with police, overdose, decisions to call 9-1-1, and their understanding of the GSDOA. Their responses were coded in NVIVO and analyzed using interpretive description. RESULTS: For many YWUD in this study, overdoses are an ever-present part of their lives and fear of fentanyl has left them concerned for themselves and others. Negative experiences occurred when police used their power without benefit to youth or were rough or disrespectful, without care for the person overdosing. Youth saw police in a positive light if they were compassionate, stepping aside for paramedics or reviving someone experiencing an overdose. Youth had very mixed knowledge of the GSDOA and were concerned about criminalization if they called 9-1-1. CONCLUSIONS: Collaboration with police and local stakeholders is required to address the concerns of YWUD and to increase awareness and penetration of policies such as the GSDOA. Changes to policing cultures that prioritize health rather than criminalize YWUD may increase youth's trust of police and increase calls to 9-1-1.

Direct-acting antiviral treatment for hepatitis C, reinfection and mortality among people attending an inner-city community health centre in Victoria, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been shown to be effective among PWID, but more real-world data on treatment outcomes is needed. The aim of this analysis was to assess the efficacy of DAA therapy, and the rate of reinfection and mortality among people attending an inner-city community health centre in Victoria, Canada. METHODS: In this retrospective study, patients treated with DAA therapy between November 2014 and Dec 31, 2017 were included. Retrospective chart review was performed to assess recent injecting drug use (IDU, previous six months) or receipt of opioid agonist treatment (OAT). The primary endpoint was Sustained Virologic Response (SVR12). Secondary endpoints included HCV reinfection and mortality. RESULTS: Of 270 patients who initiated DAA treatment (31% female), 20% (n=54) had HIV/HCV coinfection, 32% (n=84) had cirrhosis, 67% (n=181) had genotype 1, 6% (n=15) had genotype 2, 26% (n=69) had genotype 3. 46% (n=125) of patients were receiving OAT and 49% (n=132) reported recent IDU. 98% (n=265) completed treatment; two people stopped due to mental health, two people died, and one was non-adherent. 92% (249 of 270) achieved SVR12. 16 patients with End of Treatment (EOT) response did not have a SVR12; 7 were lost to follow-up; 2 people refused bloodwork; 2 people died; 1 had reinfection; and 4 had viral relapse. There was no difference in SVR12 by OAT (OAT, 93% vs. no OAT, 91%, P=0.435), recent injecting drug use (yes, 92% vs. no, 92%, P=0.904), or HIV status (HIV, 92% vs. no HIV, 94%, P=0.498). Eight cases of HCV reinfection were observed over 253 person-years of follow up (3.2 cases per 100 person-years; 95% CI 1.6-6.3). Twenty people died (6.3 per 100 person-years; 95% CI 3.9-10.3), including two during therapy (drug overdose, n=2) and 18 following therapy completion (drug overdose, n=7). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that DAA treatment is effective among a marginalized population receiving care in an inner-city community health centre. The high mortality in this study highlights the importance of integrating HCV care within a framework addressing drug-related harms, preventing overdose mortality, addressing social inequalities, and improving the health of PWID.