Government of Canada announces over $3 million to help address harms related to substance use in British Columbia 

Backgrounder

March 2023

To help support the response to the overdose crisis and address harms related to substance use and the toxic illegal drug supply, the Government of Canada has announced over $3 million in funding for three innovative community-led projects across British Columbia.

With this funding, these projects will help improve health outcomes for people who are at risk of experiencing substance-related harms and overdose by scaling up prevention, harm reduction and treatment efforts across the country.

Funding is provided through Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP), which supports evidence-informed and innovative initiatives across a range of interventions—prevention, harm reduction and treatment—involving a broad range of legal and illegal substances.

British Columbia (total of $3,215,228)

Home Based Addictions Support and Detox
Options Community Services Society – Surrey, BC
$2,579,088 over 26 months to deliver a home-based detoxification service in Surrey, South Surrey, North Delta, and White Rock, BC. The project will specifically focus on services for South Asian men. A family physician will provide the initial intake assessment and develop a treatment plan including prescription medication such as Opioid Agonist Therapy. A care team, comprised of a Licensed Practical Nurse, Clinical Counsellor, and Peer Support Worker, will administer relevant medication, liaise with physicians daily and provide patients with counselling and education relating to side effects and withdrawal symptoms. Those who complete the detox will transition to informal community supports.
Theme: Community-based
Funding envelope: B2022

SOWINS Community-Based Harm Reduction Program
South Okanagan Women In Need Society (SOWINS) – Penticton, BC
$341,332 over 26 months to deliver fixed and mobile community-based harm reduction and supply distribution services for women experiencing or at risk of experiencing violence and abuse, who are also at a heightened risk of substance-related overdoses, The project will be delivered in the South Okanagan-Similkameen region of British Columbia. Project activities include drop-in center services, providing basic needs, advocacy, addictions counseling, testing services, primary healthcare, and information and referrals to other community-based supports.
Theme: Community-based
Funding envelope: B2022

Wellness Podcast Project for Men Working in the Trades
Fraser House Society – Mission, BC
$294,808 over 26 months to develop a podcast on overdose prevention for people in the trades living in the Fraser Health Authority region. The podcast will help men aged from 18 to 59 of years, struggling with substance use, engage in healthy conversations led by both peers and experts. The funding will also enable the organization to provide, through the podcast, tools and information on pain, trauma, as well as substance use, all while enhancing awareness, decreasing stigma, and encouraging men working in trades to share their lived experience with their peers.
Theme: Men in Trades
Funding envelope: B2022

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