The toxic drug and overdose crisis is having tragic impacts on communities across Canada. Too many Canadians have lost their lives to this public health crisis, impacting families, friends, and neighbours. Canada's approach to addressing this public health crisis is focused on providing access to a full continuum of health care services and leveraging tools at our disposal to save lives, connect people to care, and keep communities safe.
Today, Lisa Hepfner, Member of Parliament for Hamilton Mountain on behalf of the Honourable Ya'ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced over $4.3 million to St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton to build a peer-led program to enhance care for people who use drugs during and after hospitalization.
The new program will integrate people with lived and living experience into hospital care teams as peer workers to act as a bridge between patients and their health care teams. The peer workers will also provide individual and group-based peer support for patients in emergency departments and inpatient units of St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton General Hospital, Juravinski Hospital and McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton, ON.
To support a safe and successful transition back to the community, the program will offer care for up to three months following hospital discharge.
The Government of Canada is committed to supporting community partners and organizations working to save lives. This project is funded through the Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP).
