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Connection and collaboration for substance use care

Podcast

Season 6: Episode 4 - March 23 2026

Runtime: 24:33

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SHOW NOTES
Summary

In this episode, host David P. Ball speaks with Peer Addictions Worker, Heather Edward, and Registered Social Worker, Chelsea Tetrault, who share insights about the role of interdisciplinary teams in a person’s substance use care journey. With a focus on harm reduction and creative problem-solving, Heather and Chelsea illustrate the importance of connection and collaboration across teams and clinics to help people have autonomy in their treatment and recovery care. Listeners will hear practical examples about appointment accompaniment, regular check-ins, and how coordinated, person-centred supports can reduce barriers to health care and sustain stability through treatment.

Learning Objectives

  1. Describe the importance of collaborating with clients to prioritize their well-being and stability when initiating and maintaining treatment.
  2. Express the benefits of an interdisciplinary team approach in supporting clients through the process of reaching and maintaining stability and the unique roles played by different team members.
  3. Identify strategies that can be used by healthcare providers with patients to support collaborative treatment approaches, specifically: goal setting, tracking improvements, maintaining stability.

Lineup

In this episode, you’ll hear:

  • [1:52] – Heather Edward, Guest – Peer Addictions Worker, The Village Clinic, Courtenay BC
  • [10:33] – Chelsea Tetrault, Guest – Registered Social Worker, Road to Recovery – Aftercare Team, Providence Health Care

Clinical Pearls

Here’s what listeners can take away from this episode:

  1. Ensure patients are collaborators and have autonomy in their care plans; become familiar with a patient’s goals, who their support network includes, and check in frequently.
  2. Leverage and value the expertise of peer workers to bridge gaps between clinical plans and lived realities. Through shared experiences, peers can build trust and improve client engagement.
  3. Communicate regularly with other disciplines and members of the care team. Establish clear roles and coordinate regular check-ins and team huddles between social workers, peer workers, nurses, and prescribers.
  4. Anticipate potential barriers to care and set realistic expectations; be transparent about what system supports are available and how long wait times usually are.
  5. Allow flexibility in treatment plans; work with patients and their support networks to find alternatives if “Plan A” doesn’t work and make necessary adjustments when their circumstances change.

Resources

Professional Development

Supports for care providers

Reports, statistics, and guidance

Articles and books

  • Beaulieu T, Barbic S, Milloy MJ, Puri N, Hayashi K, Ti L. PMH24 Factors associated with receiving integrated care among people with concurrent opioid use disorder and mental illness in a Canadian setting. Value in Health. 2020;23(2):S588. DOI: 10.1016/j.jval.2020.08.1102
  • Moallef S, Homayra F, Milloy MJ, Bird L, Nosyk B, Hayashi K. High prevalence of unmet healthcare need among people who use illicit drugs in a Canadian setting with publicly-funded interdisciplinary primary care clinics. Subst Abus. 2021;42(4):760-766. doi:10.1080/08897077.2020.1846667
  • Moallef S, Dale L, Homayra F, et al. Suboptimal nonmedical qualities of primary care linked with care avoidance among people who use drugs in a Canadian setting amid an integrated health care reform. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2022;139:108784. doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2022.108784