Assessing Recovery Capital

April 3rd TELUS ROOM 106 1:30 Pm to 3:00 PM

About this Session – Assessing Recovery Capital – coming soon

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Safe Supply, Media, Policy, & Recovery

A Panel with Adam Zivo, Dr. Rob Tanguay, & Member of Parliament Garnett Genuis

April 3rd TEUS Convention Centre 1:30 PM TELUS ROOM 104/105

Dr. Rob Tanguay – Safe Supply: Why all the fuss?

About this Session

Safer Supply, otherwise known as public supply of addictive drugs (PSAD) or risk mitigation prescribing, has made headlines in Canada as governments role out access to prescription replacements for illicit and possibly toxic substances. The use of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is an evidence-based and first-line approach to initial stabilization and treatment of opioid addiction. Addiction medicine practitioners have long argued the effectiveness of methadone which was met initially with pushback and scrutiny. Is it possible that safer supply could save lives? Is it the public health magic wand it is hyped to be? What are the harms of replacing illicit and potentially toxic fentanyl and analogues? This will be discussed and more as we look for answers to deal with the Opioid Crisis.

Learning ObjectivesAnalyze the outcome data for safer supply programs

1) Analyze the outcome data for safer supply programs

2) Apply evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of opioid use disorder

3) Mitigate risks of prescribing potentially addictive and dangerous medicationsAnalyze the outcome data for safer supply programs

References

1) Oviedo-Joekes E, Guh D, Brissette S, et al. Hydromorphone Compared With Diacetylmorphine for Long-term Opioid Dependence: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2016;73(5):447–455. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0109


2) Nguyen HV, Mital S, Bugden S, McGinty EE. British Columbia’s Safer Opioid Supply Policy and Opioid Outcomes. JAMA Intern Med. 2024 Jan 16:e237570. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.7570. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38227344; PMCID: PMC10792500.

3) Matthew Bonn, Adam Palayew, Natasha Touesnard, Thomas D. Brothers, and Claire BodkinJournal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 2023 84:4 , 648-650


4) Roberts, E., & Humphreys, K. (2023). “Safe Supply” initiatives: Are they a recipe for harm through reduced health care input and supply-induced toxicity and overdose? Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 84, 644–647. doi:10.15288/jsad.23-00054

MP Garnett Genuis – The History of Safe Supply

About this Session

As a Member of Parliament, I have a unique window into public policy debates and the factors that drive them. The goal of my presentation will be to educate conference attendees about some key issues shaping the recovery and the safe supply policy conversations in Canada. While debates are often framed publicly in terms of which policy approaches serve the wellbeing of substance users, the interests of corporations manufacturing and marketing substances and their ability to promote their interests under the guise of advancing the public interest has been a key underlying driver of policy outcomes.

My presentation will explore the history of opioid sales and marketing and how those profiting from opioid sales influenced the public conversation and key policy decisions. The approaches that these companies took were designed to maximize and maintain their profitability. While the over-promotion of opioids by corporations is now widely condemned as a key driver of the opioid crisis, the same essential logic of the approach they promoted persists in modern safe supply program.
When examining current policy around substances, we will look at how corporate agendas and interests may be shaping the policy conversation today, what parallels exist between the past and the current corporate framing of public conversations around substances, and how current practices may be driven by corporate interests instead of by an effective evaluation of the interests of users. I will advance the thesis that the program of over-promotion and over-prescription of Oxycontin by Purdue Pharma was the original safe supply program and that modern safe supply programs can be understood as a continuation of this past approach. Modern safe supply programs are driven by similar interests and carry similar problems.

Learning Objectives

Through my presentation, attendees will come to understand the following:


1) The history of the opioid crisis and the role played by corporate interests, as well as the tactics pursued by corporations to advance their interests.


2) The role played by corporate interests in the current safe supply conversation and the similarities and differences between past and present ‘safe supply’ programs.


3) Possible public policy responses to substance use issues that do not prioritize corporate interests at the expense of the needs of affected communities.

Adam Zivo – Media, Policy, Government and Safe Supply

About this Session

Canada’s federal government, along with some provincial governments, believe that “safer supply” programs are an effective intervention for reducing overdoses and drug-related deaths. However, there is compelling evidence that most of the drugs distributed through these programs are diverted onto the black market, and that these diverted drugs are spurring relapses and new addictions, especially among youth. Organized crime is allegedly profiting from the abuse of safer supply programs, and it appears that, even when used as intended, some safer supply drugs can cause debilitating infections.

Government stakeholders and public health researchers have been reluctant to explore the harms of safer supply, and, in some cases, they have been actively hostile to the possibility that the intervention may not work as intended. As such, much of the evidence of safer supply’s harms has come from journalistic sources.

Adam Zivo is Canada’s leading journalist on this topic. In May 2023, the National Post published a 10,000 word expose of his which outlined the problems of safer supply. He has since written several follow-up articles on the issue. In this session, Zivo will summarize his findings, describe the challenges of reporting on this topic, and address some of the main criticisms of his work.

Learning Objectives

1) Participants will learn about the main harms associated with safer supply.


2) Participants will learn about the challenges associated with journalistic reporting on safer supply.


3) Participants will hear rebuttals to the main criticisms levied against journalistic work criticizing safer supply.

References

Zivo, Adam. 2023a. “Drug Fail: The Liberal Government’s ‘Safer Supply’ is fuelling a New Opioid Crisis.” National Post (May 9). Available at https://nationalpost.com/feature/how-the-liberal-governments-safer-supply-is-fuelling-a-new-opioid-crisis

Zivo, Adam. 2023c. “Doctors Fed Up with Activists Gaslighting Them over‘Safer Supply.’” National Post (November 16). Available at https://nationalpost.com/opinion/adam-zivo-doctors-fed-up-with-activists-gaslighting-themover-safer-supply.

Zivo, Adam. 2023e. “Liberals Rely on Poor Quality Research to Defend Safer Supply.” National Post (May 19). Available at https://nationalpost.com/opinion/adam-zivo-liberals-rely-on-poor-quality-research-to-defend-safer-supply.

Zivo, Adam. 2023g. “Safer Supply Doctor Wants More Critical Debate About the Program.” National Post (May 25). Available at https://nationalpost.com/opinion/safer-supply-doctor-wants-more-critical-debate-about-the-program.

Zivo, Adam. 2023h. “A 14-Year-Old Is Dead. Her Dad Blames ‘Safer Supply’Drugs.” National Post (May 31). Available at https://nationalpost.com/opinion/adam-zivo-teen-dies-from-overdose-after-becoming-addicted-to-drugused-in-safer-supply

Land Based Teachings and the Relationship to 12 Step Recovery

April 3rd, 2024, 11:00 Telus Room 104 – 105

Session Description

What are the complementary components of Land Based Indigenous Healing Practices (eg Sacred Circle, Smudge/Cleansing, Elder advice) and a majority of 12-step programs (eg Alcoholics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous) that, when amalgamated as a dual process, produce optimal addiction treatment/healing outcomes? Even a cursory view of the literature highlights the fundamental role of spirituality in Indigenous and 12-step practices. Fijal & Beagan (2019) writing on the value of including Indigenous healing practices within the Canadian health care system described the person “…as having physical, cognitive, and effective components, with Spirituality at the core” (p227).

Addressing the importance of land to indigenous peoples, Fijal & Beagan noted it is “… interconnected with Spirituality since it is fundamental to Indigenous knowledge” (p226). Jennifer Redvers (2020) commenting on the important relationship of land to traditional healing and spirituality wrote, “…we believe in it so much, because going back there [to traditional land location] brought, what we hear people saying, it brought a sense of belonging” (p97).

There is little debate as to the role of Spirituality within 12-step groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous which is a widely available empirically supported (Kelly & Arby, 2021) approach that is best described as a “…Spiritually based intervention” (Beraldo et al, 2019, p26). At an individual level, 12-step recovery can and does encompass a religious component. However, it is more aligned with the personal and subjective understanding and expression of Indigenous practices in that it is “…more sensitive to earthly concerns than heavenly hopes” (Jordan, 2019, p204).

Additionally, both 12-step practice and Indigenous cultural practices draw on the concept of a deity for spiritual guidance that has been respectively referred to as a Higher Power and The Creator. The counterpart of the Indigenous Elder, who provides sage counsel, is the 12-step Sponsor who provides experiential support to new members. Another commonality is the 12-step narrative (McInerney & Cross, 2021) and Indigenous storytelling (Datta, 2018) both inherent components for optimal outcomes within each approach. This synopsis provides an overview of just a few of the many complementary integrations between 12-step-based Recovery and Indigenous Land Based Healing Practices.

Learning Objectives

  • Understanding the links between land-based teachings and 12-Step Recovery.
  • Practical application of land-based teaching in groups.
  • Statistical analysis of the efficacy of LBT in treatment.Y35

References

  • Beraldo, L. Gil, F.; Ventriglio,A.; de Andrade, A.;da Silva, A.;Torales,J.;Gonçalves, P.;Bhugra,D.; & Castaldelli-Maia, J. (n.d.). Spirituality, religiosity and addiction recovery: Current perspectives. http://www.eurekaselect.com. Retrieved December 16, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.2174/1874473711666180612075954 Datta, R. (2017). Traditional storytelling: An effective indigenous research methodology and its implications for environmental research. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 14(1), 35–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/1177180117741351
  • Fijal D, Beagan BL. Indigenous perspectives on health: Integration with a Canadian model of practice. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2019;86(3):220-231. doi:10.1177/0008417419832284Jordan, J. A. (2019). Alcoholics Anonymous: A vehicle for achieving capacity for secure attachment relationships and adaptive affect regulation. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 19(3), 201–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533256x.2019.1638180
  • McInerney, K & Cross, A (2021) A Phenomenological Study: Exploring the Meaning of Spirituality in Long-term Recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous, Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 39:3, 282-300, DOI: 10.1080/07347324.2021.1895016Redvers, J. (2020). “The land is a healer”: Perspectives on land-based healing from indigenous practitioners in Northern Canada. International Journal of Indigenous Health, 15(1), 90–107. https://doi.org/10.32799/ijih.v15i1.34046
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First Nations Leadership: A vision for recovery

April 4th, 2024 9:00 am to 10:30 am

Main Exhibition Hall – TELUS Convention Centre Calgary

First Nations Leadership: A vision for recovery

Details about this session coming soon

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Leadership In Recovery

Marshall Smith, Chief of Staff to the Premier of Alberta. Tom Coderre, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary SAMHSA

April 3rd, 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm

Main Exhibition Hall – TELUS Convention Centre Calgary

About this Session – Leadership In Recovery

Canada’s largest addiction recovery healthcare conference will host a talk about leadership in transforming complex healthcare systems. Marshall Smith and Tom Coderre  will focus on two key learning objectives. Firstly, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the essential qualities and skills required for effective leadership in the context of addiction recovery and healthcare systems. This will include exploring strategies for navigating the complexities of healthcare systems, fostering collaboration among stakeholders, and advocating for policy changes that support recovery-oriented care. Secondly, attendees will learn practical techniques for implementing and sustaining transformative changes within healthcare systems to better support individuals in their recovery journey. This will involve discussing innovative approaches, such as integrated care models, peer support programs, and the use of technology, to improve access, quality, and outcomes in addiction recovery services.

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The Virtual Opioid Dependency Program and Recovery Capital

Dr J Stryder ZoBell & Dr Hussain Aboud

April 3rd, 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm

Glen 205 – TELUS Convention Centre Calgary

The Virtual Opioid Dependency Program and Recovery Capital

About this session – Dr J Stryder ZoBell

The Virtual Opioid Dependency Program (VODP), which began in 2018, is a provincial-wide program specializing in assessing, treating, educating, and stabilizing individuals who struggle with substance use disorders. We aim to present the work of VODP which has utilized medications, counseling, motivational interviewing, and innovative techniques in order to initiate individuals and maintain them on their recovery journey. Significantly, the VODP has expanded to address the needs of specific demographics, particularly adolescents and young adults, who are increasingly at risk for opioid use disorder. In 2022, the program established the Youth VODP (yVODP), a specialized team focused on this vulnerable population. Our presentation will delve into the operations of yVODP, emphasizing its strategies in managing opioid use disorder among adolescents. We will explore the treatment modalities, community involvement, and collaborative efforts that underpin the success of this targeted intervention

Learning Objectives

Individuals will have a further understanding of differing opioid agonist therapy medication options, the efficacy of these different medications in recovery, a deeper understanding into the unique challenges of differing population subsets struggling with opioid use disorder, as well as a deeper understanding of the VODP as a provincial support for those individuals struggling with substance use disorder.

References

Ray LA, Meredith LR, Kiluk BD, Walthers J, Carroll KM, Magill M. Combined Pharmacotherapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adults With Alcohol or Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. (2020)

Day N, Wass M, Smith, K. Virtual opioid agonist treatment: Alberta’s virtual opioid dependency program and outcomes. (2022)

Nairn SA, Audet M, Stewart SH, Hawke LD, Isaacs JY, Henderson J, Saah R, Knight R, Fast D, Khan F, Lam A, Conrod P. Interventions to Reduce Opioid Use in Youth At-Risk and in Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: A Scoping Review. Can J Psychiatry. 2022

About this session – Dr Hussain Aboud

The Virtual Opioid Dependency Program (VODP), which began in 2018, is a provincial wide program specializing in assessing, treating, educating, and stabilizing individuals who struggle with substance use disorders. We aim to present the work of VODP which has utilized medications, counseling, motivational interviewing, and innovative techniques in order to initiate individuals and maintain them on their recovery journey.


Significantly, the VODP has expanded to address the needs of specific demographics, particularly adolescents and young adults, who are increasingly at risk for opioid use disorder. In 2022, the program established the Youth VODP (yVODP), a specialized team focused on this vulnerable population. Our presentation will delve into the operations of yVODP, emphasizing its strategies in managing opioid use disorder among adolescents. We will explore the treatment modalities, community involvement, and collaborative efforts that underpin the success of this targeted intervention

Learning Objectives

Individuals will have a further understanding of differing opioid agonist therapy medication options, the efficacy of these different medications in recovery, a deeper understanding into the unique challenges of differing population subsets struggling with opioid use disorder, as well as a deeper understanding of the VODP as a provincial support for those individuals struggling with substance use disorder.

References

Ray LA, Meredith LR, Kiluk BD, Walthers J, Carroll KM, Magill M. Combined Pharmacotherapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adults With Alcohol or Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. (2020)

Day N, Wass M, Smith, K. Virtual opioid agonist treatment: Alberta’s virtual opioid dependency program and outcomes. (2022)

Nairn SA, Audet M, Stewart SH, Hawke LD, Isaacs JY, Henderson J, Saah R, Knight R, Fast D, Khan F, Lam A, Conrod P. Interventions to Reduce Opioid Use in Youth At-Risk and in Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: A Scoping Review. Can J Psychiatry. 2022

Bio

Dr Hussain Aboud CCFP AM, ISAM, ACBOM is an addiction medicine physician and clinical lead for the youth program at the virtual opioid dependency program in Ponoka, Alberta. With a dynamic career spanning over 20 years as a family physician working on the front line of the opioid epidemic, Dr. Aboud has dedicated himself to the field of addiction, recovery, and mental health. His approach is holistic and inclusive, addressing the needs of diverse groups including adults, adolescents, youth, pregnant women, and individuals in remand. This broad spectrum of care highlights his understanding of the varied facets of addiction and the unique challenges faced by different groups during their recovery journey.

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A Social Ecology Model of Recovery and Recovery Capital – Recovery Cities

Dr. David Best

April 3rd, 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm

Exhibition Hall C – TELUS Convention Centre Calgary

A Social Ecology Model of Recovery and Recovery Capital

About this Session

There is a long tradition within the recovery housing approach and within therapeutic communities of a ‘social model’ of recovery as promoted by Thomasina Borkman. This is based on the idea that recovery is an intrinsically social process. However, it does not adequately account for broader contextual and societal effects, including recovery visibility. The presentation will use a recovery capital framework to present a model of recovery contagion where the context is essential in creating the stage for social conditions of recovery to apply. The model will draw on the concept of Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care and the global Inclusive Recovery Cities model

Learning Objectives

1. To understand the concept of community recovery capital and its role in challenging stigma and exclusion

2. To understand and be able to articulate what an Inclusive Recovery City is and how it can be operationalized

3. To be aware of and able to cite the most recent evidence about recovery and recovery capital

References

1. Best, D. (2019) Pathways to desistance and recovery: The role of the social contagion of hope. Policy Press: Bristol.
2. Best, D. & Colman, C. (eds)(2019) Strengths-based approaches to crime and substance use: From drugs and crime to desistance and recovery. Routledge: London.
3. Best , D., Sondhi,A., Best, J., Lehmann, J. Grimes, A., Connor, M. & De Triquet, B. (2023) Using Recovery Capital to Predict Retention and Change in Recovery Residences in Virginia, USA, Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 41:2, 250-262
4. Best, D., Sondhi, A., Hoffman, L., Best, J., Leild, A., Grimes, A., Conner, M., DeTriquet, R., White, W., Hilliard, B., Leonard, K. & Hutchinson, A. (2023) Bridging the gap: Building and sustaining recovery capital in the transition from prison to recovery residences, Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, DOI: 1080/10509674.2023.228648.
5. Bunaciu, A., Bliuc, A-M., Best, D., Hennessy, E., Belanger, M. & Benwell, C. (2023) Measuring recovery capital for people recovering from alcohol and drug addiction: a systematic review, Addiction Research & Theory, DOI: 10.1080/16066359.2023.2245323

Bio

David Best is Professor and Director of the Centre for Addiction Recovery Research at Leeds Trinity University. He is also President of the Recovery Outcomes Institute in Florida, and an Affiliate Senior Scientist at the Public Health Institute in Caliifornia. He holds honorary professorial posts at the Australian National University and Monash University in Melbourne. He is also Chair of the Prison Research Network the British Society of Criminology. He is also extremely old and struggles to remember where he is much of the time

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Accessing Addiction Treatment in First Nations with the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program

Dr. Grady Gibson

April 3rd, 11:00 am to 12:30

Glen Room 209 – TELUS Convention Centre Calgary

About this session

Accessing Addiction Treatment in First Nations with the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program

Prevalent fentanyl use has contributed to an increase in fatal opioid overdoses in Alberta. The rate of fatal overdose in First Nations people is seven times higher than in Non-First Nations people. Indeed, First Nation reserves present unique challenges to treating opioid addiction including remoteness, pharmacy availability, and access to prescribers. Yet the main treatment for opioid addiction—opioid agonist therapy (OAT)—reduces mortality by over fifty percent2. To overcome these challenges and improve access to OAT, the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program uses telehealth and a low-barrier philosophy to start and continue people on treatment3. It a province-wide program specializing in assessment, treatment, and follow-up for outpatients with opioid use disorder.


In 2022, a First Nation in Alberta experienced 25 fatal overdoses in a three-month period and approached the VODP to form a partnership. We developed a model where staff assessed and treated patients in-person on reserve with remote access to VODP physicians. My presentation will explore this model, and how we use buprenorphine based products such as buprenorphine-XR and buprenorphine/naloxone in novel ways to improve access and retention to treatment.

  1. Alberta Opioid Response Surveillance Report: First Nations People in Alberta (2021)
  2. Santo, Thomas Jr et al. “Association of Opioid Agonist Treatment With All-Cause Mortality and Specific Causes of Death Among People With Opioid Dependence: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” JAMA psychiatry vol. 78,9 (2021): 979-993. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.0976
  3. Day N, Wass M, Smith, K. Virtual opioid agonist treatment: Alberta’s virtual opioid dependency program and outcomes. (2022)

Dr Grady Gibson MD CCFP ISAM is an addiction medicine physician and the medical director for the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program. Since completing his medical training Dr. Gibson has worked in addiction-related roles including inpatient treatment, acute care consultation, and has been involved in the development and expansion of the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program. Dr. Gibson quickly moved towards providing addiction treatment in his career because he observed the powerful and life changing improvement that a person can experience from these interventions.

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Transforming Corrections: Therapeutic Living Units in the Alberta ROSC

April 3rd, 11:00 am to 12:30

Glen Room 206 – TELUS Convention Centre Calgary

Dr. Paul Sobey, Elizabeth Loudon, Kristopher Liber, and Kieran Spice

Transforming Corrections: Therapeutic Living Units in the Alberta ROSC

About this Session

Therapeutic Living Units (TLUs) are Therapeutic Communities (TC) adapted for correctional facilities. TCs are a highly effective evidence-based intervention for the treatment of severe SUDs with more than 60 years of therapeutic value in communities, jails, and other settings. The presenters will discuss the unique approach taken in establishing and operating three TLUs in Alberta, the daily program, including the rationale and philosophy, and the evidence for the approach.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the presentation, the participant will:

1. Have a clear understanding of the evidence base for the TC model and its adaptation for a correctional facility.

2. Understand the unique process RSG took in standing up and operating TLUs.

3. Understand the unique program RSG developed and modifications made to achieve the best possible outcomes

References

1. De Leon, G. Is the Therapeutic Community an Evidence-Based Treatment? What the Evidence Says. In Therapeutic Communities: The International Journal for Therapeutic and Supportive Organizations (2010).Vanderplasschen W, Colpaert K, Autrique M, et al. Therapeutic communities for addictions: a review of their effectiveness from a recovery-oriented perspective. Scientific World Journal. (2013) 2013:427817. doi:10.1155/2013/427817

2. De Leon G. “The Gold Standard” and Related Considerations for a Maturing Science of Substance Abuse Treatment. Therapeutic Communities; A Case in Point. Substance use & misuse, (2015) 50(8-9):1106–1109. doi: 10.3109/10826084.2015.1012846.

3. Doyle MF, Shakeshaft A, Guthrie J, Snijder M, Butler T. A systematic review of evaluations of prison-based alcohol and other drug use behavioural treatment for men. Aust N Z J Public Health. (2019) 43(2):120-130. doi: 10.1111/1753- 6405.12904.

4. Hubbard RL, Craddock SG, Anderson J. Overview of 5-year follow-up outcomes in the drug abuse treatment outcome studies (DATOS). J Subst Abuse Treat. 2003;25:125 – 134.

5. Prendergast LM, Hall AE, Wexler KH, Melnick G, Cao Y. Amity Prison-Based Therapeutic Community: 5-Year Outcomes. Prison Journal (2004) 84(1):36-60. https://www.ojp.gov/library/publications/amity-prison-based-therapeutic- community-5-year-outcomes

6. Rowan M, Poole N, Shea B. et al. Cultural interventions to treat addictions in Indigenous populations: findings from a scoping study. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy 9, 34 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/1747-597X-9-34

7. Gress CLZ, Arabsky S. Nanaimo Correctional Centre Therapeutic Community Preliminary Impact Analysis: British Columbia: Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor. (2010). https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/law-crime-and- justice/criminal-justice/corrections/research-evaluation/ncc-tc-pia.pdf

Bio

Dr. Sobey’s background is in Family Practice. He completed fellowship training in Addiction Medicine at University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University in 1999. Since this time, he has focused his practice on the treatment of patients with addictions. He has had the honour and opportunity to work extensively in educational, residential treatment, hospital and correctional facility settings, as well as medical-legal, occupational, hospital and administrative roles. He is a past President of the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine, the nationally representative organization for physicians and allied healthcare professionals providing healthcare services for people with addictions. Given he is a person in long term recovery, his practice has always had a recovery medicine focus, assisting people in finding pathways of recovery. In December 2022, two colleagues and Dr. Sobey formed ROSC Solutions Group. After a competitive bid process, RSG was awarded several healthcare contracts by the Government of Alberta. The contract’s scope of work is focused on supporting Alberta’s Recovery Oriented System of Care in addressing addiction and mental health challenges.

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