WECOSS Action Plan Guiding Recommendation [SEVEN]: Work with provincial partners to advocate for increased funding to expand the capacity of the local substance use treatment system.

Goal: To promote treatment and recovery options to key target groups, including those who are using substances, their loved ones and other health and social service professionals.

Summary of Activities: A community resource for the public that outlines the continuum of care of available treatment and recovery options, was updated to include information about Rapid Access Addiction Medicine clinics. This updated resource was disseminated to local healthcare providers including family physicians and dentists. Additional work was initiated to create a resource that outlines referral pathways to address needs that may surface through the completion of the GAIN Short Screener such as comorbidity of a mental illness.

Next Steps

• Establish a healthcare and social service provider care pathway. An initial step is to create a community listing of local service agencies where clients can be referred based on preliminary screening and assessment.
• Partner with ConnexOntario to provide access to a database of treatment providers directly on the wecoss.ca website

WECOSS Action Plan Guiding Recommendation [SEVEN]:  Work with provincial partners to advocate for increased funding to expand the capacity of the local substance use treatment system.

Goal: To optimize processes used to assess and screen clients for treatment services, and support streamlined access to these services.

Summary of Activities: The training of relevant community agencies on how to administer the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAINs) Short Screener (GAIN-SS) tool which streamlines the Staged Screening & Assessment process when used.  Training of community agencies supports the future state of a coordinated access model for delivery of addiction services, a system where there is no wrong door for those looking for treatment and recovery supports and services.

Measurable Outputs: 

• 9 GAIN Short Screener (GAIN SS) training sessions held
• 113 Individuals trained
• 36 Agencies trained

WECOSS Action Plan Guiding Recommendation [SEVEN]:  Work with provincial partners to advocate for increased funding to expand the capacity of the local substance use treatment system.

Goal: To engage people who have experienced an opioid overdose and provide education on overdose prevention (e.g., naloxone kits) and information and support to access local treatment and recovery options.

Summary of Activities: Relevant service providers and agencies were recruited and briefed on the role for an Opioid Overdose Response Follow Up Strategy (OORS) and participated in the development of a model for Windsor and Essex County. Creation of processes and strategies to provide responsive access to addiction treatment for these clients is a key project goal. Timely access to withdrawal management services and medication for opioid use disorder (e.g., buprenorphine or methadone) are also envisioned as a part of this community response.

Measurable Outputs: 

• 14 community stakeholders collaborated to create an OORS to support those who have recently overdosed, with treatment and harm reduction services

Next Steps:

• Partnerships established between Essex-Windsor Emergency Medical Service and mental health and addictions response units
• Resource package created for program staff and for dissemination to clients