Safer Supply Program

The Safer Supply Program at Sanguen Health Centre was developed in partnership with The Working Centre in response to the devastating drug poisoning crisis affecting our community. Funded by Health Canada in March 2021, the program aimed to reduce overdose-related harm and prevent deaths in Kitchener-Waterloo by providing a safer alternative to the toxic, unregulated street drug supply. Funding for the Safer Supply program was discontinued in 2023 resulting in a change in direction.

What is Safer Supply?

Safer Supply is a harm reduction approach where legal, pharmaceutical-grade opioids are prescribed by Physicians and Nurse Practitioners to individuals at high risk of overdose. This allows participants to reduce or eliminate reliance on unregulated street drugs, decreasing exposure to contaminants like fentanyl and other dangerous substances.

Safer Supply programs operate through a health promotion and community-based service delivery model. At Sanguen, this model integrated a range of social and healthcare supports, all delivered through a trauma- and violence-informed lens.

Program Impacts

Since its launch, the Safer Supply Program has:

• Reduced participants’ reliance on the toxic unregulated drug supply.
• Decreased the risk of overdose and related harms.
• Provided essential health and social supports to individuals in the community.

Current Status

Due to funding and capacity issues, the Safer Supply Program is no longer accepting new referrals.

While the program’s structure is changing, Sanguen remains deeply committed to harm reduction and advocating for innovative solutions to the ongoing drug poisoning crisis. 

Learn More

If you would like to understand more about harm reduction and safer supply approaches, please explore the Resource tab on our website or contact us for further information. You can also access our Program Findings reports below along with a video about the Safer Supply program in Waterloo:

• Report 1 (PDF) 
• Report 1 Summary (PDF) 
• Report 2 (PDF) 
• Report 2 Summary (PDF) 

Safer Supply Takes a Village: Findings from the Kitchener-Waterloo Program Evaluation 

CONTACT 

For more information email us at info@sanguen.com or call us at 519-603-0223