Pilot has launched at CAMH and with community partners, supporting the recovery process of those with opioid use disorder.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, April 10th, 2024 – A4i, a leading digital platform for supporting people with complex behavioural and mental health conditions, has initiated beta testing of A4i-O, their digital platform to support the recovery process in opioid use disorder (OUD). Beta testing is happening in partnership with The Centre of Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Canada’s leading mental health and addictions hospital system.
Founded in 2018, A4i, spun-out of CAMH in partnership with development partner MEMOTEXT, is being used to target recovery processes in severe mental illness including psychosis, schizophrenia and newly in opioid use disorders. Dr. Klara Vichnevetski, Director, Industry Partnerships and Technology Transfer, CAMH, “A4i has been a fantastic tool to increase access to care for patients in the schizophrenia and psychosis space. It is our hope that the release of A4i-O can do the same for OUD and help patients recover more quickly and avoid relapse.”
In Canada the federal government as identified opioid use as a crisis, with annual deaths increasing year after year. Going from under 3,000 in 2016 to over 6,000 annually in 2022. In 2021 83% percent of opioid use deaths were attributed to non-pharmaceutical opioids. Non-pharmaceutical as well as prescription opioids are contributing to the opioid crisis in Canada. Canada is one of the top 5 countries in the world for consumption of prescription opioids.
The Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms Working Group estimated that opioid use cost Canadians over $5.9 billion in 2017. With lost productivity and criminal justice costs accounting for over $5 billion, and health costs accounted for over $438 million. The A4i-O platform will contribute to the quadruple aim of healthcare, by improving patient experience, decreasing healthcare costs, increasing access to care within patient health and enabling better care management. Co-Founder and CEO, A4i, Amos Adler “we’re excited about A4i-O’s potential to connect and facilitate recovery beyond the 4 walls of provider institutions. We are providing the fabric in between clinical visits and connecting people to care.”
A4i and CAMH are engaged in an intensive process of co-design with people with histories of opioid addiction and a range of clinicians. Building of the existing A4i platform for SMI, the team has developed a novel version of A4i tailored to opioid users. According to Dr. Sean Kidd, “Having a technology that is grounded in the needs and preferences of those most affected provides an opportunity to extend the reach of our care system – and to be a part of the effort to prevent the tragic outcomes that we are routinely seeing.” With the pilot underway A4i-O is deployed within CAMH and a range of community addiction service providers. The team will continue the process of data gathering and iteration as they look for additional opportunities to develop and scale out this much-needed technology.
About A4i
A4i is a platform for supporting people with complex behavioural and mental health conditions. Currently, A4i is being used to target the recovery processes in psychosis and schizophrenia, and newly in opioid use disorders. For more information, please visit a4i.me or contact Amos Adler, CEO, A4i, amos@a4i.me
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital and one of the two world’s leading research centres in its field. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and is a Pan America Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. With a dedicated staff of 5,000 physicians, clinicians, researchers, educators and support staff, CAMH offerings outstanding clinical care to more than 38,000 patients each year. For more information, please visit camh.ca