The COVID-19 pandemic led to substantial disruptions in the treatment of opioid use disorder, and the consequences of these interruptions are still unclear. During the height of the pandemic, community addiction clinics shifted to virtual care, reduced their operating hours, or even temporarily closed their doors. Meanwhile, opioid overdoses in Alberta and British Columbia continued to rise. It was unclear whether patients were receiving the required assistance through opioid use disorder treatment or if their treatment fell short of meeting their needs.

In this project, we combined the analysis of data from opioid addiction clinics and emergency departments to create a comprehensive picture of how COVID-19 affected the treatment of opioid use disorder. Importantly, in collaboration with Blackfoot Confederacy we evaluated how these changes in treatment specifically impacted First Nations members in Blackfoot territory.