Image: FHA via Ampco Graphics / The exterior of a Fraser Health building is pictured. Fraser Health Authority (FHA) announced Wednesday (August 7) it will provide free harm reduction products through an online shopping portal, similar to Amazon, to people who may not be able to access overdose prevention sites or supervised consumption sites. Delivery is also free. 

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Fraser Health

Fraser Health to provide harm reduction supplies free through an Amazon-like online portal – and free delivery

Aug 7, 2024 | 10:06 AM

CHILLIWACK — Fraser Health Authority (FHA) announced Wednesday (August 7) it will provide free harm reduction products through an online shopping portal, similar to Amazon, to people living in the health authority’s region who may not be able to access overdose prevention sites or supervised consumption sites.

In a statement from spokesperson Gurleen Dhessi, FHA says it is imperative that people have timely and equitable access to supplies that reduce the harms from toxic as the unregulated toxic drug supply continues to claim the lives of British Columbians.

“To better serve people in the Fraser Health region who may not access overdose prevention sites or supervised consumption sites due to stigma or other reasons, Fraser Health has partnered with MTS Logistics and Mountainside Harm Reduction Society to bring harm reduction supplies directly to them through an online portal,” FHA wrote in a statement.

Fraser Health says the products are available free of charge to people living in the Fraser Health region and are for personal use only. However, it’s not clear what would stop someone from selling the supplies or from distributing them to other people.

FHA says the portal operates like other online shopping websites, enabling people to effortlessly select products, add them to a virtual basket and complete the order. People at Mountainside Harm Reduction Society, which serves clients in the Fraser Valley including Chilliwack, then package the supplies and MTS Logistics coordinates delivery.

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FHA People can order injection and inhalation supplies, Take Home Naloxone kits and fentanyl screening strip kits as well as safer sex supplies. Pamphlets and instructional videos explain how to use the products. Additionally, the portal connects clients to Fraser Health resources including clinical and outreach teams and virtual care options.

“The unregulated toxic drug supply crisis requires us to think outside the box — in this case, deliver the box of harm reduction supplies — to individuals who don’t typically use in-person services,” says Erin Gibson, manager of clinical operations, Toxic Drug Response and Priority Populations, Fraser Health. “There are many reasons people don’t access in-person harm reduction and drug checking services, including lack of transportation and stigma. We’re still encouraging people to have someone witness their consumption wherever possible to reduce the risk of toxic drug deaths.”

The regional health authority is touting the service as one component of Fraser Health’s “broad continuum of hospital and community-based mental health and substance use services available to people in our communities.”

Fraser Health says it supports 12 overdose prevention and supervised consumption sites. There are dozens more locations in shelters and supportive housing where people can use substances in monitored settings.

“We are further helping people to make informed decisions about their substance use with drug-checking services,” FHA said. “Portable Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) machines are available at various locations in the region and at some events—such as music festivals—to also help people check their substances. FTIR testing can detect the chemical makeup of many substances, including opioids, stimulants, and other psychoactive drugs.

Harm reduction supplies and fentanyl strip tests are also available free of charge at all Fraser Health overdose prevention sites, supervised consumption sites, harm reduction sites, and public health units.

For people who use substances alone, digital harm reduction tools such as the Lifeguard App, Brave App, and the National Overdose Response Service support people to consume their substances more safely. The Lifeguard app is also available in Punjabi.