Opioid Crisis Relief

Ontario is providing urgent relief to those affected by the opioid crisis, including adding more front-line harm-reduction workers, expanding the supply of naloxone, and creating new rapid access addiction clinics in every region of the province. Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, and Dr. David Williams, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, were at St. Michael's Hospital today to announce that the province is investing more than $222 million over three years to enhance Ontario's Strategy to Prevent Opioid Addiction and Overdose. These new investments, which build on previous commitments and will help ensure people with opioid addictions have access to holistic supports that address the full spectrum of needs, include: Adding more front-line harm-reduction workers across the province Expanding the supply of naloxone, including more access for at-risk individuals by distributing the overdose reversal drug through emergency departments, and exploring more opportunities to make nasal spray naloxone available to people in Ontario Expanding Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Clinics across the province, which provide people with immediate and ongoing addiction treatment, counselling and other mental health supports and boosting access to community-based withdrawal management services and addictions programs Expanding proven harm-reduction services, such as needle exchange programs and supervised injection sites. Additional new and expanded initiatives include: Partnering with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to expand addictions treatment and care provided in family health teams across the province Collaborating with the Ontario College of Family Physicians to mentor health care providers on appropriate prescribing of opioids for pain management and treating patients with addiction Working with Indigenous communities to enhance culturally appropriate mental health and wellness programs and funding for new or expanded Indigenous Mental Health and Addictions Treatment and Healing Centres Developing addictions treatment and services targeted to the unique needs of youth Improving data collection and monitoring to support early warning activities.

Ontario is increasing access to care, reducing wait times and improving the patient experience through its Patients First: Action Plan for Health Care and OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare - protecting health care today and into the future.