Harm Reduction
Harm Reduction can be defined as
as policies, programs and practices that seek to reduce the adverse health, social and economic consequences of the use of legal and illegal psychoactive substances. Harm reduction is pragmatic and focuses on keeping people safe and minimizing death, disease and injury associated with higher risk behavior, while recognizing that the behavior may continue despite the risks.
Government of Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living
Principles of Harm Reduction
Acceptance and Understanding
Accepts, that licit and illicit drug use is part of our world and chooses to work to minimize its effects rather than simply ignore or condemn them.
Humanism
Recognizes that people do things for a reason; harmful health behaviors provide some benefit to the individual and those benefits must be assessed and acknowledged to understand the balance between harms and benefits.
Social Determinants
Recognizes that the realities of poverty, class, racism, social isolation, past trauma, sex-based discrimination, and other social inequalities affect both people’s vulnerability to and capacity for effectively dealing with drug-related harm. Understands drug use as a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon that encompasses a continuum of behaviors from severe use to total abstinence, and acknowledges that some ways of using drugs are clearly safer than others.
Peer Informed
Ensures that people who use drugs and those with a history of drug use routinely have a real voice in the creation of programs and policies designed to serve them.
Client Centered & Non-Judgmental
Calls for the non-judgmental, non-coercive provision of services and resources to people who use drugs and the communities in which they live in order to assist them in reducing harm.
Promotes Autonomy & Dignity
Affirms people who use drugs themselves as the primary agents of reducing the harms of their drug use and seeks to empower people who use drugs to share information and support each other in strategies which meet their actual conditions of use.
National Harm Reduction Coalition – Principles of Harm Reduction
What Prairie Mountain Health has to offer
PMH Harm Reduction offers information and supplies for reducing harm when engaging in activities that could put you at risk.
- safer sex supplies
- needles and other injection supplies
- safer smoking kits for crack and meth
- needle disposal and containers for safe needle disposal
- take home naloxone kits
- confidential Sexually Transmitted Blood Born Infection (STBBI) testing and resources
- resources on safer smoking, injecting, snorting, tobacco, alcohol consumption & vaping
- needle pick up empowerment kits
In effort to promote community safety, we collaborate with community partners to install community sharps bins and offer free public education on how to safely handle and dispose of a sharp. Thank you to all our community partners and individuals for their continued support.
To access harm reduction supplies, or connect about any of these services, please reach out to your local public health/primary care office, your local Manitoba Harm Reduction Network, or PMH services.
Community Connections Outreach Van
Public Health Nurses offer harm reduction services and Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infection (STBBI) testing and treatment on the road with the Community Connections van. Look for us in a community near you or contact your local Public Health Office to speak with a Public Health Nurse about the Community Connections Outreach Van.
What to do if you find a needle?
Most people in our communities dispose of used sharps properly, but sometimes sharps can be found in parks, beaches, sidewalks, trails, etc.
When viruses in needles are exposed to the air, the viruses usually die quickly. However, there is no way to know how long a needle had been lying where you found it, so even though you are unlikely to be infected by poking yourself, it is always best to be safe.
In most cases, you can safely dispose of a needle yourself:
If the needle or item you have located needs to be picked up immediately, please consider removing it using the following steps:
Find a sturdy hard plastic container such as an (e.g. pop or laundry bottle)
Set container on stable surface
Use gloves if available. You may also use pliers or tongs if you have them.
Do not recap the needle.
Pick up needle by the plunger end, ensuring needle tip is pointing down & away from you.
Point the sharp end of the needle down into the container and secure the lid.
Needles in a secured container can be taken to any PMH facility or Public/Primary Health office, or community sharps disposal box.
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. If not available, use alcohol swab or alcohol based product.
What if a needle pokes me?
The risk of serious infection from a discarded needle is very low, but it is important to take care of this kind of injury.
Allow the puncture site to bleed. This helps flush any germs away.
Wash the area well with soap and water.
Go to any emergency room as soon as possible. You will be assessed for health risks from this needle poke.
Here is what might happen:
You may be given a vaccine against hepatitis B and/or tetanus.
Blood testing might be offered to make sure you did not have hepatitis B or C, or HIV before being poked.
You may need follow-up blood tests to make sure that you did not get infected.
In very few cases, you might be given medication to help prevent becoming infected by HIV. This is rarely necessary.
Naloxone
What is Naloxone?
Naloxone is a drug that temporarily reverses overdose (toxicity) caused by opioid drugs (such as fentanyl, heroin, morphine, hydromorphone). It is important to note that take-home naloxone itself does not replace the need to seek immediate medical attention.
What does PMH offer?
If you are, or know, a member of the public at risk of opioid overdose or poisoning, visit the Naloxone Finder – Take Home Program to find a distribution site. Please contact the site directly to confirm accessibility and details of service. Take Home Naloxone Program Take-Home Naloxone Distribution Program | Health | Province of Manitoba
Manitoba take-home naloxone kits
Manitoba take-home naloxone kits are not available for use in the workplace. If you are looking for naloxone for your workspace staff, some options to consider include:
- Direct Purchase: Intranasal and injectable naloxone formulations and supplies can be purchased without a prescription from some community pharmacies.
- Training for Workplaces: Group training sessions in Overdose Recognition and Response are available from most First Aid and CPR training organizations. St. John Ambulance offers free online training and resources in the React and Reverse program.
- Naloxone for Health Care Providers: Health Care employees seeking naloxone for use in the workplace should speak to their employer. The Manitoba Take Home Naloxone program does not provide naloxone for use in the workplace.
- Naloxone (including intranasal form) is also available for free for First Nations and Inuit clients covered by the Federal Non-Insured Health Benefits Program.
- Additional information on Naloxone
Stigma
Stigma is any attitude, belief, or behaviour that discriminates against people.
Stigma is a significant barrier to wellness and good health for people who use substances. When it comes to substance use, stigma impacts people with lived and living experience, as well as
their families.
People with substance use disorders may face mistreatment, stereotyping, and negative bias from society, including in healthcare settings. These challenges may lead them to avoid seeking medical help.
Over half of Canadians suffering from substance use disorders say that stigma is a major barrier to their well-being. We can help break down these barriers by changing the words we choose to use. #StigmaEndsWithMe
Over half of Canadians suffering from substance use disorders say that stigma is a major barrier to their well-being. We can help break down these barriers by changing the words we choose to use. #StigmaEndsWithMe
Substance use disorders aren’t a choice, they are a health condition. Take the first step to ending stigma by eliminating biased words from your day-to-day life. #StigmaEndsWithMe
More information on Harm Reduction
- Addictions Foundation of Manitoba Resources
- Manitoba Harm Reduction Network
- Manitoba Health: Naloxone Training
- Sexuality Education Resource Centre
- Street Connections
- Drug Alerts – SaferSites
- MHRN
- Toward the Heart
- Addictions Services – Prairie Mountain Health
- CATIE: Canadian HIV/AIDS Treatment and Information Exchange
- Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
- Canadian Centre on Substance Use
- International Harm Reduction
- WRHA Position Statement on Harm Reduction
- Communities Alliances and Networks (Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network)
