Profile of: Adrienne Thornton

Award Received: Maritime SPOR Support Unit Traninee Support Program

Awarded for the project: An Evaluation of the First Safer Supply Program in New Brunswick: The River Stone Recovery Centre

Faculty: Faculty of Arts

Department: Department of Psychology

Supervisor: Dr. Caroline Brunelle

The opioid overdose crisis, fuelled by the illicit drug market, is considered a public health emergency in Canada. Safer supply programs are a form of harm reduction service where people who use drugs can access a prescription for a regulated drug (i.e., hydromorphone). The current research is part of a national evaluation, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, of Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addiction funded safer supply programs. This includes an evaluation of safer supply programs in New Brunswick, using an imbedded mixed-methods design. Semi-structured interviews with participants of the first safer supply program in New Brunswick, River Stone Recovery Centre, were completed in order to evaluate the program from the perspective of the user. Following transcription, a thematic analysis will occur. In addition, quantitative data on participant outcomes will be analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Evaluating safer supply programs is critical prior to the further implementation of programs in New Brunswick, allowing for the identification of any areas of unmet needs, or areas of possible improvement. The current thesis, funded by the MSSU Trainee Support Program and New Brunswick Health Research Foundation, will contribute to the emerging literature on this recent form of harm reduction.