Tackling the Opioid Crisis in Northern Ontario: The Launch of the Our North Bay Healthbox

Northern Ontario has been grappling with a significant increase in opioid-related overdoses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. This crisis has hit harder in some communities than others, with the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit (Health Unit) region seeing a significant increase in opioid toxicity deaths.

Before the pandemic, the region had an average of 14 opioid-related deaths per 100,000 people. During the pandemic, that number more than doubled to 36.4 deaths per 100,000, according to a 2021 report. This sharp rise in substance use and drug poisoning-related fatalities highlighted an urgent need for innovative and supportive strategies to help reduce these deaths and other harms.

This sharp rise in substance use and drug poisoning-related fatalities highlighted an urgent need for innovative and supportive strategies to help reduce these deaths and other harms.

Individuals who use substances echoed this need after the closure of a local 24/7 needle syringe program in 2017. This closure in particular resulted in the need for an alternative, around-the-clock option within the community to access harm reduction to help decrease the number of overdose deaths and other associated harms.

A search for solutions to address this gap and other needs led to the Health Unit learning about Our Healthbox, a cutting-edge, interactive vending machine designed to help reduce stigma and provide immediate access to harm reduction supplies, essential health products and local services.

What’s in Our North Bay Healthbox? 

Our North Bay Healthbox, generously supported by the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research, will include harm reduction tools such as naloxone kits (life-saving medicine which can reverse opioid overdoses), sharps containers (for safe disposal of sharps), safe sex supplies (such as condoms, to help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections), and menstrual hygiene products.

The service will also provide items like gloves, handwarmers and foil blankets in the winter and rain ponchos and water bottles in the warmer seasons. Health information, public health messaging, drug alerts and a directory specific to North Bay and area service’s will also be available to those who use the Healthbox.

What impact will Our North Bay Healthbox have on the community?

For the residents of North Bay, Our Healthbox is a vital resource during the after-hour gaps in service. It allows discreet, stigma-free access to harm reduction materials, empowering individuals to make safer choices. The inclusion of safe sharps disposal supplies (sharps containers) will also help address the growing issue of discarded needles in the community, improving public safety and the overall physical environment.

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The Healthbox works to generate important conversations within the community about harm reduction/prevention as well as about the need to provide opportunities and supports that allow for people to connect to the care they need, when they are ready and without judgement. Our North Bay Healthbox will not replace in-person interactions with healthcare providers, but will instead complement and extend existing services within the community.

As the Health Unit launches Our North Bay Healthbox in 2025, the hope is that this program will have a positive impact on the community. It’s more than just a service – it’s a step toward providing equitable access to the resources people need to stay safe, healthy, and supported. This program represents a crucial part of the Health Unit’s ongoing efforts to tackle the opioid crisis and ensure everyone in their community has access to the care and resources they deserve.

Who We Are – North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit

Our Health Unit aims to foster healthy communities through partnership, preparedness, prevention, promotion, and protection. As one of 34 public health units across Ontario, we:

• Promote healthy lifestyles, including healthy eating, active living, reproductive, sexual and
  dental health, and child development
• Prevent injuries, tobacco use, substance and alcohol misuse; prevent diseases through clinical
  services for immunization, dental, and sexual health
• Protect our communities from infectious diseases and environmental hazards in food, water, air,
  and soil
• Prepare for, respond to and support recovery from major emergencies.

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Our service area spans over 23,000 square kilometers and serves a population of approximately 134,400 within most of the Nipissing District, and all the Parry Sound District. This catchment area includes 31 municipalities, six First Nations communities, and four unorganized areas. Visit www.myhealthunit.ca to learn more.