Our Story

River Stone Recovery Centre grew out of the innovative addiction medicine practice run Dr. Sara Davidson at the Fredericton Downtown Community Health Centre (FDCHC) as part of her primary care practice. Along with prescribing oral treatments to people with opioid and/or stimulant use disorder, Dr. Davidson ran weekly drop-in group appointments for these patients. A strong community developed of people with similar experiences and challenges. Patients could look to each other, as well as to the medical and social service professionals at FDCHC, for support dealing not only with addiction and related health problems, but also with issues related to employment, housing and relationships.

In 2019, Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) announced $76.2 million in grants for innovative and evidence-informed programs to combat the opioid overdose crisis and toxic drug supply. A portion of that money was earmarked for "safer supply" projects to increase access to pharmaceutical grade medications. The Call for Proposals described the need for such projects this way:

The efficacy of programs that provide prescription-grade opioids as alternatives to illegal street drugs are supported by multiple domestic and international studies. Studies have shown reduced mortality, decreased crime, and improved connections to housing and social supports. Given the contamination of the illegal drug supply, including stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamine, with extremely toxic and potent drugs like fentanyl and its analogues, targeted investments to expand access to safer alternatives and that provide people with pathways to care are needed. Supporting and scaling up pilot projects that offer a safer alternative to the illegal supply, and contribute to the evolving evidence base, aligns with Health Canada’s mandate to help Canadians maintain and improve their health.

Dr. Davidson led a team of professionals to submit a successful application for funding of a five-year pilot project to create an injectable Opiate Agonist Therapy (iOAT) program in Fredericton that would develop best practices in the relatively new (to Canada) treatment option for refractory opiate use disorder.

River Stone Recovery Centre opened in Fredericton in July, 2020 and began providing traditional, oral OAT and SRT. The iOAT program began in October, 2020. River Stone opened an iOAT facility in Saint John (not funded by SUAP) in July, 2022.