BCCDC Take Home Naloxone Program to Pilot Distribution of nasal naloxone kits

November 01, 2024

The BCCDC would like to update harm reduction, THN, and FORB sites about the Province’s nasal naloxone pilot project.

• The Province has begun to distribute nasal naloxone through the BCCDC Take Home Naloxone (THN) program as a pilot project.
• The BCCDC will send nasal naloxone kits to select THN sites, such as harm reduction sites, health authority sites, First Nations sites, and community pharmacies. The kits are not available to order.
• While supplies last, select THN sites will provide kits with two doses of nasal naloxone for free to people for whom it is most important. Priority populations include:
  • People who have difficulty using syringes because of, for example, a physical disability or hand injury.
  • People responding to drug poisoning in extremely cold climates since bulky clothing and winter gloves can get in the way of using syringes.
  • Youth who are likely to witness and respond to a drug poisoning and are less likely to be comfortable or familiar using syringes.
• People who are Indigenous will also receive priority distribution because the toxic drug crisis is having a disproportionate impact on Indigenous communities due to historic and ongoing harms caused by colonialism and racism.
  • People with a First Nations Health Benefits card can also access free nasal naloxone from First Nations Health Benefits for their personal use. See FNHA-Nasal-Naloxone-Fact-Sheet.pdf for more information.
• The BCCDC has prioritized these groups based on consultation, expertise and national guidance from the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM). 
• The distribution of intramuscular injectable naloxone through both the BCCDC THN and FORB programs is not impacted by this pilot project.