Ontario is broadening the reach of existing harm reduction programming currently offered in the province.
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, Dr. Eric Hoskins, and John Tory, Mayor of Toronto, announced today that the province will be allocating $15 million in funding to hire more front-line workers for every board of health in Ontario, with the aim of improving addiction and mental health related outreach, education and planning.
Additionally, approximately 65,000 additional naloxone kits (an opioid overdose reversing medication) will be distributed through community-based organizations such as shelters, outreach organizations, HIV/AIDS organizations, Community Health Centres and withdrawal management programs.
The announcement is part of Ontario’s Strategy to Prevent Opioid Addiction and Overdose, which includes initiatives to enhance data collection, modernize prescribing and dispensing practices, and expand addiction treatment services. In 2014, more than 700 people died in Ontario from opioid-related causes, a 266 per cent increase since 2002.
For more information on the announcement, visit the Government of Ontario website.
More information on Naloxone and where to find a kit near you can be found online.