Everyone Deserves Access To The Tools And Resources They Need

In 2023, Brantford-Brant had an opioid-related fatality rate about 1.5 times the Ontario average and twice the provincial average for emergency department visits due to opioid overdose.

The community also faces numerous drug-related harms like skin and soft tissue infections, transmission of infectious diseases (HIV and Hepatitis C), and stigma affecting substance users and their families.

Immediate access to naloxone and sterile substance use supplies can significantly reduce these harms. Naloxone can reverse an opioid overdose if administered promptly. Despite expanded access over the past five years, the Office of the Chief Coroner reported that in 2023, 40% of opioid toxicity deaths with a bystander present in Ontario did not involve naloxone administration. Many of these deaths could have been prevented with timely naloxone use.

We believe everyone deserves access to the tools and resources they need to stay safe and healthy, including outside of normal business hours. Alyssa Stryker, Drugs Strategy Coordinator at BCHU

In Brantford, naloxone is available from seven community access points and some pharmacies, mostly during business hours. However, service providers, users, and their families report that limited access during evenings, overnight hours, weekends, and holidays hampers their ability to obtain this life-saving medication and other harm reduction supplies when needed most.

The Brant County Health Unit and SOAR Community Services (formerly St. Leonard's Community Services) have partnered with REACH Nexus and MAP to launch Our Healthbox, an interactive harm reduction vending machine outside SOAR’s office at 133 Elgin Street, Brantford. Currently.

Individuals can access naloxone and harm reduction supplies from SOAR staff Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Our Healthbox will be operational whenever SOAR is closed: 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. Monday to Friday and 24 hours a day on weekends and holidays. It provides access to naloxone, harm reduction supplies, safe sex supplies, and HIV self-testing kits. This ensures that Brantford residents can access essential health and well-being supplies 24/7/365, significantly reducing barriers and expanding access to vital resources.

The Brant County Health Unit and SOAR Community Services are thrilled to launch Our Healthbox in Brantford. Alyssa Stryker, Drugs Strategy Coordinator at BCHU, stated, “We believe everyone deserves access to the tools and resources they need to stay safe and healthy, including outside of normal business hours. By launching Our Healthbox, we ensure that community members can access lifesaving supplies whenever they need them most.”

Kim Baker, Executive Director of Services at SOAR Community Services, added, “We are proud to be part of this collaborative effort. By making harm reduction supplies more accessible, we hope to save lives and improve outcomes for those in need.”

Our Healthbox is a significant step toward ensuring the safety and well-being of at-risk community members. It provides low-barrier access to essential supplies, contributing to a safer and healthier environment for all.

We are proud to be part of this collaborative effort. By making harm reduction supplies more accessible, we hope to save lives and improve outcomes for those in need. Kim Baker, Executive Director of Services at SOAR Community Services

This initiative underscores the commitment of all partners involved to prioritize the health and well-being of community members who use substances, aligning with broader harm reduction strategies that minimize the negative consequences of substance use while promoting dignity, respect, and compassion for all individuals.‍

About the Organizations and Authors‍

The Brant County Health Unit is one of 34 health units in Ontario that serves a population of more than 136,000 people in the County of Brant and the City of Brantford. The Health Unit strives to deliver high-quality programs and services to address the unique health needs of our community and improve the health and well-being of our population.

SOAR Community Services (formerly St. Leonard's Community Services) is a not-for-profit organization offering help to the people in Brantford, Brant, and Haldimand for over 55 years. Today, we provide our community members with support in Employment, Housing, Justice, and Addictions and Mental Health. Some of the most vulnerable people we work with need assistance in more than one – or even all - of these categories.