Northern rural, remote, Indigenous communities receive grants to address overdose

Overdose response and awareness efforts will have a chance to expand in the Northern Health region through a provincial grant program.

"People living in rural, remote and Indigenous communities are best equipped to address the overdose crisis on the ground in their communities," Sheila Malcolmson, minister of mental health and addictions, said. "I'm grateful for the wisdom and expertise of community leaders whose innovative projects are making a difference during two public health emergencies."

Grant recipients include Unlocking the Gates, Coalition of Substance Users of the North, Fort Nelson First Nation, Tsay Keh Dene Nation, Niislaa Naay Healing House Society, McLeod Lake, Takla Nation, Society for Narcotic Opioid Wellness, Dudes Club Society, and Dze L K'ant Friendship Centre Society.

People in rural and remote areas face limited access to health care and treatment as well as a limited supply of Naloxone and harm reduction services.

The grants will be used to connect people to life-saving supports while reducing stigma, developing harm reduction policies, relationship building and knowledge sharing.

First Nations people and Indigenous communities are over-represented when it comes to overdose deaths and an increasingly toxic drug supply has magnified the impact of the overdose crisis.

Data from January to October 2020 shows First Nations people died from overdose at a rate 5.5 times higher than other residents in B.C.

These funds are intended to address these inequities by supporting community groups, service providers and Indigenous-led organizations to carry out local actions specific to the needs of their community. More than $1 million in grants are being distributed to 23 rural, remote and Indigenous communities and organizations throughout B.C.

Equitable access to culturally safe and effective substance-use care is a key component of A Pathway to Hope: B.C.'s roadmap to creating a system of mental health and addictions care that works for everyone.

The funds are being administered by the Community Action Initiative and the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions. The grants build off the work done at the 2019 Rural and Indigenous Overdose Exchange to address the overdose crisis at the local level.