Poster Board 4: - Urban HOPE-improving Access to Low Barrier Care

Urban HOPE is a cost-effective means of easing the burden of overdose on the healthcare system by involving people with lived and living experience in service delivery. [...] COVID-19 has caused disruptions to the drug supply chain and subsequently higher rates of toxicity, with more people also using alone due to isolation and the closure of some harm reduction services (Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, 2020). [...] Action: Urban HOPE will increase community access to comprehensive and multi- disciplinary wraparound health and social services that meet multiple needs, reducing barriers to opioid agonist therapy and making it easier for people who use substances to navigate the health system and treatment options. [...] - Conduct outreach to rooming house residents and other community members who use substances to grow and strengthen capacity around the prevention of overdose and what to do when overdoses occur - Distribute Naloxone kits and other harm reduction supplies to rooming house residents, those who live on the street and to other people who use substances. [...] To increase access to opioid agonist therapy amongst Centretown residents: - Expand service hours of the Urban Health Clinic to provide wraparound health Within those primary audiences we will expect to serve higher numbers of Indigenous Peoples, racialized people and communities, Impact: Urban HOPE has just begun over the last year but performance metrics are based on hopeful outcomes of the prog.