Supporting community overdose response planning in Ontario, Canada: Findings from a situational assessment
Date
2022
Authors
Khorasheh, Triti
AbuAyyash, Caroline Bennett
Mallakin, Maryam
Sellen, Kate
Corace, Kim
Pauly, Bernie
Buchman, Daniel
Hamilton, Michael
Boyce, Nick
Ng, Karen
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMC Public Health
Abstract
Background: Many communities across North America are coming together to develop comprehensive plans to address and respond to the escalating overdose crisis, largely driven by an increasingly toxic unregulated drug supply. As there is a need to build capacity for successful implementation, the objective of our mixed methods study was to identify the current planning and implementation practices, needs, and priority areas of support for community overdose response plans in Ontario, Canada.
Methods: We used a situational assessment methodology to collect data on current planning and implementation practices, needs, and challenges related to community overdose response plans in Ontario, consisting of three components. Between November 2019 to February 2020, we conducted ten semi-structured key informant interviews, three focus groups with 25 participants, and administered an online survey (N = 66). Purposeful sampling was used to identify professionals involved in coordinating, supporting, or partnering on community overdose response plans in jurisdictions with relevant information for Ontario including other Canadian provinces and American states. Key informants included evaluators, representatives involved in centralised supports, as well as coordinators and partners on community overdose response plans. Focus group participants were coordinators or leads of community overdose response plans in Ontario.
Results: Sixty-six professionals participated in the study. The current planning and implementation practices of community overdose response plans varied in Ontario. Our analysis generated four overarching areas for needs and support for the planning and implementation of community overdose response plans: 1) data and information; 2) evidence and practice; 3) implementation/operational factors; and 4) partnership, engagement, and collaboration. Addressing stigma and equity within planning and implementation of community overdose response plans was a cross-cutting theme that included meaningful engagement of people with living and lived expertise and meeting the service needs of different populations and communities.
Conclusions: Through exploring the needs and related supports for community overdose response plans in Ontario, we have identified key priority areas for building local capacity building to address overdose-related harms. Ongoing development and refinement, community partnership, and evaluation of our project will highlight the influence of our supports to advance the capacity, motivation, and opportunities of community overdose response plans.
Description
Keywords
Opioids, Overdose, Situational assessment, Public health, Capacity building
Citation
Khorasheh, T., AbuAyyash, C. B., Mallakin, M., Sellen, K., Corace, K., Pauly, B., . . . Leece, P. (2022). “Supporting community overdose response planning in Ontario, Canada: Findings from a situational assessment.” BMC Public Health, 22(1390). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13762-0