Guelph General Hospital is looking to help those using substances with a new peer-based program.
GGH and Stonehenge Therapeutic Community have teamed up for the Peer2Peer overdose response program running out of the GGH emergency department, bringing in a peer recovery coach to provide support in reducing harm from substance use.
Brett Lomax began in the role last week.
“My upbringing was very tough," the peer recovery coach said in a news release. "I never really had a good opportunity to succeed. I started using drugs at 13-years-old, that took me to prison and then to homelessness.
"Drugs took a lot from me, but it also gave me life. Being able to help others, where they are at right now in their journey, can only come from lived experience.”
Lomax's job will be to stay with a patient in the emergency department, provide emotional support and refer them to drug poisoning prevention education, and local support.
The hospital said those who use substances visit the emergency room and stay in hospital more often than others.
“Peer recovery coaches provide a support like no other as they have a unique capacity to support individuals who are stigmatized because of their own experience of substance use," said Kristin Kerr, the CEO at Stonehenge.
"They help individuals who experienced a drug poisoning to have the support they need in the moment, to navigate the health system, and to figure out next steps. This program bridges care between hospital and community.”
The program is a pilot running until March 2024. But there's a chance it could be extended, depending on how successful it is.
The program also operates at Grand River Hospital and Cambridge Memorial Hospital.
