BC CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN HIV/AIDS ANNOUNCES NEW INTEGRATED PROGRAM FOR THOSE DIAGNOSED WITH OPIOID USE DISORDER LIVING WITH CHRONIC PAIN

VANCOUVER, BC, July 24, 2023 /CNW/ - The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) launched an integrated program in Vancouver's Downtown East Side for individuals living with chronic pain who are diagnosed with opioid use disorder.

This program, made possible with funding from Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP), will provide clients with an interdisciplinary team made up of a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, psychiatrist, family physician, peer, and nurse specialist. An interdisciplinary team of infectious disease and addiction specialists, behavioural therapists, health system researchers, and data scientists will also be put together to monitor the implementation of the program and provide feedback.

Dr. Rolando Barrios, MD, Senior Medical Director of the BC-CfE, said: "Chronic pain and substance use disorder are related and mutually aggravating conditions that disproportionately impact people experiencing social and structural inequities. People who experience chronic or complex pain, may self-manage pain through substances, notably opioids, while conversely, individuals who experience substance use disorder face a higher risk for injuries or other traumatic events resulting in chronic pain."

Within Vancouver's Downtown East Side neighbourhood, which has been devastated by the ongoing drug poisoning crisis, chronic pain and opioid use disorder are highly prevalent conditions. Estimates from Vancouver Coastal Health suggest that nearly 2,000 clients in the neighborhood currently have a diagnosis of chronic pain, which is likely an under-estimation of the burden of disease in this community. This is a timely and important issue in the context of the ongoing poisoning crisis in Canada. Currently, the main driver of drug overdose deaths is a toxic illegal supply of opioids, in particular synthetic opioids.

The goals of the 30-month program, which will be housed at the Hope to Health primary care clinic at 625 Powell Street, will be to increase uptake and retention in opioid agonist therapy, safer supply, and/or risk mitigation treatments; reduce clients' reliance on toxic street supply; increase clients' self-reported functionality and quality of life; reduce acute care and hospitalizations among clients with opioid use disorder and chronic pain. There is a potential to expand this program across Canada, after demonstrating its impact on clients and assessing health care impacts.

Other program partners include: the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority; the BC Ministry of Health; Vancouver Coastal Health Community Services; Rain City Housing; Overdose Outreach Team (OOT); Complex Pain & Addictions Service (CPAS); led by Dr. Pouya Azar.

The Honourable Dr. Hedy Fry, Member of Parliament for Vancouver Centre, said: "British Columbia, Canada and, indeed, North America are facing a continuing epidemic of deaths related to the use of synthetic opioids and other contaminated substances. There is an immediate need to take a holistic, interdisciplinary approach and address barriers to treatment and care for complex populations who may be at risk for overdose."

Dr. Julio Montaner, Executive Director and Physician-in-Chief of the BC-CfE, said: "The opioid epidemic has been shown to disproportionately impact already vulnerable individuals, particularly those with a substance use disorder and People Living with HIV. With our organization's existing knowledge base, experience, and network of community care practitioners in Vancouver's Downtown East Side, we will be able to develop and implement a new integrated care model which will be essential to reducing barriers to care and treatment for chronic pain and substance use disorder, supporting the reduction of acute care utilization, and improve quality of life for clients."

About the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) is Canada's largest HIV/AIDS research, treatment and education facility – nationally and internationally recognized as an innovative world leader in combating HIV/AIDS and related diseases. The made-in- BC Treatment as Prevention® strategy (TasP® ) pioneered by BC-CfE, and supported by UNAIDS since 2011, inspired the ambitious global target for HIV treatment - known as the 90-90-90 Target - to end AIDS as a pandemic by 2030. The BC-CfE is applying TasP®  to therapeutic areas beyond HIV/AIDS, including viral hepatitis and addiction, to promote Targeted Disease Elimination®  as a means to contribute to healthcare sustainability. The BC-CfE works in close collaboration with key stakeholders, including government, health authorities, health care providers, academics, and the community to decrease the health burden of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and addictions across Canada and around the world.

SOURCE BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

Mark Helberg, JD, Senior Director, Internal and External Relations & Strategic Development, Phone: [phone], Email: [email protected]