Weeneebayko Area Health Authority increasing opioid treatment in Moose Factory

(Source: Timmins Daily Press - December 6, 2015)

The Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) is currently investigating the potential implementation of the first pilot suboxone program in Moose Factory beginning this winter.

Suboxone, a drug containing both buprenorphine and naloxone, is used to treat addiction to opioids such as heroin, morphine, and prescription pain relievers. It acts as a pain control medication while also helping to relieve the physical symptoms of opiate withdrawal.

“There are many studies demonstrating the benefits of Suboxone in treating opioid dependence, it is associated with reduced illicit opioid use and increased treatment retention,” said Deborah Hill, the vice-president of Patient Care and Nursing Executive at WAHA. “Suboxone can be used in the short term to help patients 'detox' from opioids. It is more commonly used as a maintenance therapy in the long-term to reduce cravings and illicit opioid use over months to years.”

While there are several patients who are currently being prescribed the drug, no formal program is in place in the region at this time.

Hill said that providing Suboxone treatment in a formalized program will provide more “effective and efficient patient care” by providing “daily medication dispensing, timely follow-up, comprehensive care, and an efficient pathway for referrals to local counselors and traditional healers.”

The WAHA will work in partnership with the Moose Cree First Nation and other community partners in the James Bay Coast region to determine the need, feasibility and required resources to launch a pilot suboxone program in the region.

“There are many details to work out including space, staffing, and new equipment, and our hospital is investigating our capacity to provide specialized training for staff and dedicated clinic time for physician-supervised suboxone starts and follow-ups,” Hill explained.

The decision to embark on this project comes after a resolution was passed by the Mushkegowuk Council last month amid growing concerns of the damaging effects that opioid drug addictions have on members of the First Nations communities along the James Bay Coast.

Results provided in the 2015 People's Inquiry on Suicide and calls to action chronicled in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission suggest that prescription and opiate drug abuse can potentially be linked to the rash of suicides experienced in northern First Nations communities.

Drug abuse has the strongest link to youth suicide rates; the Inquest found, as many of the communities' youth population would engage in the “use of alcohol and drugs to escape pain and unhappiness.”

According to Nishnawbe Aski Nation statistics, more than 400 people have taken their own lives within its 49 communities over the past quarter century. Over a three year period from 2009 to 2011, it is estimated that approximately 600 youth and other community members experienced suicide ideation and in 2009, there were more than a dozen suicides committed from within from the James Bay Coast.

Building on the results of these two reports, The Mushkegowuk Council is in support of investigating the feasibility of a Suboxone clinic to improve the health and overall well-being of those in their communities.

The goal will be to provide more effective rehabilitation efforts in Attawapiskat, Kashechewan, Fort Albany, Moose Cree, Taykwa Tagamou, Chapleau Cree and Missanabie Cree First Nations.

“The program will be considered successful if we can demonstrate that a sustainable volume of clients have achieved positive outcomes including reduced opioid use, improved function and stability, and/or improved health measures,“ Hill said. “We will be consulting the Moose Cree First Nation throughout the process to ensure the program is also meeting community needs.”