‘TAPPING A TIE’: SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS IN MANAGING ADDICTIONS WITH METHADONE

Abstract

The Fredericton Community Health Clinic (FCHC) was established to provide comprehensive, accessible, and acceptable services to an underserved population who were downtown, poor, homeless, and living with addictions. A research team conducted a descriptive study to investigate how nurses' roles evolved in this setting and to understand these roles through stakeholders' eyes. We describe the perceptions of client stakeholders who first accessed the FCHC for help with opioid addictions. Findings include what drew clients in, their decision to access addiction treatment, their perceptions of nurses' roles, and the influence on their lives.