Ottawa’s Plan to Promote Wellbeing and Reduce Harms from Substance Use

OPH continues to monitor for emerging issues and is continually advancing evidence-based interventions.

Most recently, Ottawa Public Health’s collaborative efforts to inform system and service planning through the Ottawa Mental Health, Addictions and Substance Use Health (MHASUH) have resulted in the launch of the community dashboard. This Mental Health, Addictions and Substance Use Health in the Community dashboard allows our community to improve timely surveillance of the drug toxicity crisis through the overdose reporting tool.

OPH has also expanded our community reach by developing and launched the Party Safer virtual course. This self-directed course allows the learner to access overdose identification and prevention information, provides them with an option to order no-cost naloxone that can be delivered directly to their home, and party safer tips and strategies.

This platform allows our community to access information at any time and allows OPH to continue to have one-to-one interactions, deliver in person workshops on these topic areas for those citizens that do not have access or the means to access this information virtually.

In September 2023, Ottawa’s Board of Health unanimously passed the Substance use and Overdose motion.

Additional examples of work currently being done to address substance use health and wellbeing includes, but is not limited to:

• Advancing emerging harm reduction initiatives that can reduce harms associated with substance use, for example:
  • Serving as naloxone distribution leads, supporting eligible community agencies in the planning and implementation of take-naloxone kit programing, and supporting allied service partners in the development of tailored overdose prevention and response policies and procedures.
  • Provide training on overdose prevention and response training (including naloxone administration) to facilities/service providers serving those at increased risk of overdose.
  • Supporting eligible organizations that do not have capacity to take on naloxone distribution programming and reporting to facilitate and establish clear referral pathways to ensure low barrier naloxone access for their clients.  
  • Supporting the implementation of the Ontario Naloxone Program - Expanded Access (ONP-EA) initiative, onboarding identified organizations who were not previously eligible for participation in the provincially funded naloxone kit distribution program. 
  • Providing front line harm reduction services and supervised consumption services. This program offers front-line service provision of harm reduction materials and health teaching; clinical services including naloxone training and distribution, and referrals through the Harm Reduction fixed site, mobile van and targeted outreach activities, such as, sexually transmitted and blood borne infections (STBBI) testing and treatment; contraception; vaccines for hepatitis and influenza. The program also supports the provision of medically supervised consumption services through OPH’s fixed location at 179 Clarence. The team works to connect clients to other needed health, social, addictions and community services through the provision of onsite wrap-around services as well as providing support to remove accesses barriers such as appointment accompaniment, providing transportation, developing referral pathways. The team builds community partnerships and referral pathways to ensure coordination and timely access to harm reduction and wrap around services.  
  • Delivering the Needle Syringe program. This program aims to reduce the risk of bloodborne infections, overdoses and other drug related harms among people who use drugs and the broader community. Through the distribution of sterile needles/syringes and other safer drug and other drug use supplies, the program reduces the risk of sharing and re-use of supplies and reduces discarded needles in the community. The program also provides a point of access into health and social services for clients who may not otherwise have access to such services, as well as opportunities for education on safer drug use and overdose prevention practices.
  • Implements the core Needle & Syringe Program (NSP) in Ottawa, and supports over 40 partner agencies across the city coordinating accessible, evidenced based services.  Service utilization data collected by the team and epidemiology, is routinely monitored to guide interventions and assess any required response to emerging trends. Furthermore, the team provides education, training and support to allied service providers and community groups to facilitate the integration of harm reduction philosophy and practice, increase capacity in overdose prevention and response, and foster an understanding of the need for local evidence based best services.  
  • Provides education and awareness about safe disposal of needles, including through online web communications and community engagement events in collaboration with City and community partners.
  • Continuing to collaborate with community pharmacies to dispense Naloxone directly to equity deserving populations.
  • Increasing knowledge and resources for identifying and preventing overdose related deaths through collaboration with local pharmacists to the construction industry
  • Ensuring the risk of harms and problems occurring due to substance use at events is reduced by providing Party Safer and naloxone training to organizers of events, and in collaboration with pharmacy partners, and Event Central’s, Special Events Advisory Committee (SEAT). 

• Preventing stigma, promoting Substance Use Health and the Spectrum of Substance Use in the community by providing such interventions as:
  • In-person workshops and online training related to Substance Use Health, Person First language resources, and Stigma (for access, click here: Stigma: The Power of Language in Supporting your Community)
  • Online resources, such as the have THAT talk About Substance Use Health webpage
  • Promoting Canada’s new guidance on Alcohol and Health  
  • Collaborations with CAPSA and other organizations of People with Lived and Living Experience and Expertise (PWLLEE) to bring substance use health messaging and training to the Ottawa community. 
  • Capacity building of the African, Caribbean, Black (ACB) and other racialized communities by increasing intermediaries understanding and knowledge around SUH and stigmatizing language through trainings. 

• Collaborating and integrating across the health and social systems to centralize access to comprehensive addictions, substance use health mental health and social services leading to increased access and uptake of services and improved care. For instance:
  • In collaboration with city and community partners, offering free drop-in services to all residents of Ottawa at our accessible Neighbourhood Health and Wellness Hubs. Residents can come and speak to Ottawa Public Health staff and obtain information related to addictions, substance use health, mental health, overdose prevention, and more. OPH staff can also dispense naloxone kits and link clients to short term counselling. Other city services are also present to offer additional supports and services.  
  • Ensuring access to a comprehensive listing, and active promotion of where community supports and services are available for mental health, addictions and substance use health.

• Working collaboratively with federal, provincial and municipal governments, other public health units and community partners to help reduce harms related to substance use. For instance:
  • Maintain a comprehensive early warning surveillance system that which includes real-time qualitative and quantitative indicators and complementary information on local illicit synthetic opioid risk to allow for the sharing of information in a timely manner among health system and community partners and people who use drugs to respond to local needs in a timely fashion.
  • Ensure maintenance of an “Ottawa Interagency Opioid Overdose Cluster Response Plan” which outlines the operational responses of all partner organizations to a cluster of opioid overdoses in the city. This plan, which complements existing municipal emergency plans, clarifies the roles and responsibilities of internal and external partners who would be pulled into such a response.

• Utilizing online platforms to increase reach of harm reduction knowledge, information and resources (i.e. where help can be found) to Ottawa residents, for example:
  • The StopOverdoseOttawa.ca website. This website is a collaboration multiple partners and provides information on the following: 
    • Substances such as opioids (fentanyl, and carfentanil), benzodiazepines, stimulants, and more. 
    • Accessing Naloxone and local Harm Reduction services. 
    • Substance use and overdose statistics. 
    • Substance Use Health support for youth and parents. 
    • OPH also uses this platform to issue alerts aimed at raising public awareness on trends in the unregulated drug supply including increased overdose activity and risk of toxicity. 

• Advancing wellness in youth and young adults by working to decrease harms related to addictions, substance use and mental health challenges, through development and implementation of targeted interventions.  
  • OPH’s Mental Health, Addictions and Substance use Health teams, together with Ottawa school boards and community partners have developed Youth Connections Ottawa (YCO), a peer-to-peer program which aims to contribute to positive mental health, addictions and substance use health of Ottawa youth. YCO uses a peer-to-peer approach, where peer leaders are supported by adult allies to learn about mental health, addictions and substance use health, and then encouraged to develop activities, events and initiatives for their peers. This program recognizes that youth are often more receptive to messaging that comes from their peers and is delivered in a way they can relate to.

• Maintaining the Mental Health, Addictions and Substance Use Health (MHASUH) regional dashboard in collaboration with internal and external partners.
  • Having data and surveillance at a local level through a regional dashboard is one way we are showing what the current picture related to mental health, addictions and substance use health looks like in Ottawa. This dashboard allows our community to understand and respond to growing and changing needs, identify needs, inform systems and service planning, and contribute to building long-term promotion and prevention strategies in the community. 

If you require additional information, please visit our StopoverdoseOttawa.ca website or contact us via email at Substancehealthsante@ottawa.ca

We are in this together

Reports

• Comprehensive Mental Health and Substance Use – Focus on Opioids Strategy: Findings from Consultation
• Post-Summit Summary Report (2019)
• Post-Summit Executive Summary (2019) 
• Ottawa Community Action Plan (2019) 
• Ottawa Community Action Plan Highlights Report (2020)
• Post-Summit Summary Report (2020)
• Post-Summit Executive Summary (2020)
• Ottawa Public Health’s 2019-2022 Strategic Plan: Strategic Priority Relating to Mental Health and Substance Use Health