The Dr. Peter Centre is creating a Community of Practice HUB for frontline service providers, health care professionals, and policymakers to build capacity in establishing and operating emergency shelters where people may need to use drugs and/or Urgent Public Health Need Sites (also known as Overdose Prevention Sites). To learn more or register for the Community of Practice HUB, please visit this website*: https://uphns-hub.ca/registration/
Background**
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many jurisdictions are attempting to rapidly shelter people who are experiencing homelessness or housing vulnerability. People who use substances and are experiencing homelessness or housing vulnerability represent a particularly at-risk subpopulation. For shelters providing care to people who use substances during COVID‑19, a pragmatic approach assumes that some level of drug and alcohol use will continue irrespective of formal or informal bans or criminal prohibitions. A number of treatment and harm reduction services will help support an effective housing solution (e.g., needle exchange, naloxone availability, and consumption facilities). In April 2020, Health Canada issued temporary class exemptions to all Canadian provinces and territories, enabling provincial or territorial Ministers of Health to approve Urgent Public Health Need Sites (UPHNS) applications in their jurisdictions. Prospective UPHNS operators can also apply directly to Health Canada for an exemption, please email for more information or to request an application form: [email protected]
Who should join this Community of Practice
Agencies, organizations, peers, and government officials that are considering or have started offering harm reduction services in general and/or a UPHNS and want to learn more by accessing evidence-informed resources, hearing from peers and other expert presenters, connecting to other UPHNS operators, and having an opportunity to register for one-to-one training.
How is the Community of Practice structured
There will be regular video calls that will allow participants to hear from experts in the field and connect about specific topics related to establishing and operating a UPHNS. A website will house toolkits, presentations, and meeting minutes so that providers can access evidence-informed information. There will also be the opportunity to register for one-to-one trainings.
Where to learn more
To learn more or to register for the Community of Practice HUB, please visit: https://uphns-hub.ca/registration/
This initiative is funded by Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addiction Program. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.
*Please note that the site is not optimized for use on Internet Explorer. A browser such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is recommended.
**Background material is sourced from: Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM). Supporting people who use substances in shelter settings during the COVID‑19 pandemic. Published May 17, 2020. Available at: https://crism.ca/projects/covid/