CDSNBA – Steering Committee
Introduction
The CDSNBA – Steering Committee is comprised of a group of committed, dedicated
individuals whose work spans across the 4 pillars of Prevention, Harm Reduction,
Treatment and Enforcement. Since the Committee has been established we have been working to address the various issues of addictions, substance use, and overdoses and fatalities related to these issues. It is recognized that the topic is a complex community subject, requiring the integration and partnership of all the various agencies, community volunteers and stakeholders.
Vision
We envision a safer and healthier community that optimizes the lives, abilities, and
health of individuals, while also taking into consideration the needs of all diverse groups.
Objectives
1. To ensure the membership on the CDSNBA- Steering Committee is inclusive of organizations and individuals who are dedicated to our vision
2. To encourage the coordination and implementation of comprehensive policies, programs and services that address all substance use and/or other related issues
3. To build partnership within the community for the purpose of raising the profile of substance use related concerns, and to leverage extensive support for any initiatives emerging from the CDSNBA- Steering Committee
4. To ensure that all work is grounded in evidence-based and/or promising practices (based on qualitative and quantitative data) which includes prevention, treatment, enforcement, and harm reduction.
Membership
Workplan
We invite you to download our 2020-2022 workplan document here.
Terms of Reference
Joint document TOR, OPERATIONAL MANUAL, APPENDICES
We invite you to read this document here.
Minutes
Major Achievements
Patch for Patch (P4P) Project
The Committee’s most significant success to date is the development, implementation, and dissemination of the P4P program. P4P arose out of a need identified in North Bay in 2013 by users and city police to address a rash of deaths caused by misuse of fentanyl patches. Within two months, the protocol had been drafted, consultations held with local physicians and pharmacists, and forms and procedures implemented. The protocol was swiftly adapted and adopted in communities across Ontario. In December 2015, a private member’s bill sponsored by our MPP, Vic Fedeli, was accepted by the legislature and given Royal Assent: it is now law. A remarkable achievement!! The next step is the development and implementation of regulations to operationalize the bill.
Initiatives from 2019 to present
The Community Drug Strategy North Bay & Area Steering Committee is the organizing body for the initiatives, projects, and work occurs within the 4 pillars: Prevention, Harm Reduction, Treatment and Enforcement. We work with a diverse membership in close partnership with all members of the steering committee, community stakeholders, agencies, and volunteers through coordination or collected efforts to promote a healthy and safe community.
Educational Initiatives
3 events-Community Engagement: Grant from the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board 2019
2019: January 31: Risks, Harms and Benefits of Opioids Prescriptions– North Bay Regional Hospital
Speakers: Dr. Paul Preston and Mathew DeMarco BSc Phm
2019: February 28: Mental Health & Addictions Symposium for Service Providers– The Grande
(Topics included: Opioid Mortality: Local Perspective, The Reality of Prescribing, Myth Busting Harm Reduction Style, Time to Talk initiative, RAAM Clinic, Service Navigation Guide)
2019: March 21: Mental Health & Addictions – Community Engagement Forum – Odyssee Public School
(Topics: Personal Journey Through Addictions, Overview of the Drug Strategy, Time to Talk, Websites)
2020 January 15: Community Let’s Talk: Educational Sharing Session at the Davedi Club funded by the City of North Bay
Purpose of this session was to provide and educational information session for the general public on various topics and to clarify some of the surrounding substance misuse issues in our communities.
Topics included: How-to pick-up needles in the community, Safe Consumption sites, The importance of naloxone kits and how to use them, Drugs on our City Streets, Paramedics perspective on what they see, and the Good Samaritan Act. Over 99 plus Naloxone kits provided to those attending by the AIDS Committee staff
Other initiatives
2019 – Development of a Prescription Pain Medication Drug Fact sheet to raise awareness of using prescription and unregulated opioids as a handout at events
2019- Recognition award provided to Detective Constable Brad Reaume for his dedication and work in the field of addictions and the development of the Time to Talk initiative
2019- Small amount of funding provided to the 4 pillars for work they are doing:
-
Enforcement: The pillar developed a handout to provide to occupants in senior buildings around the education of disposing of unwanted drugs and proper disposal and that they will be doing a yearly drop off day “called on the road” where they will attend the buildings to pick up the medications for disposal
-
Harm Reduction: Developing an anti-stigma campaign including resource cards, posters, social media post and radio ads. Target audience are ages 18-85 for all gender and ethnic backgrounds.
2020 – Community of Recognition Award was awarded to Dennis Chippa for all of his outstanding contributions to our community.
2021 – In partnership with Enforcement and the North Bay Police Service produced 9 community Time to Talk videos utilizing community heroes as the speakers.
2021: September 2021 the CDSNBA completed the Joint Terms of Reference with Joint attachments and restructured the format of the CDSNAB forming an Executive Committee.
Resources pertinent to this Pillar
Fentanyl Patches and Powder
September 2013: an issue was identified, and concern expressed by the North Bay Police Street Crime Unit about the use of fentanyl Misuse and increasing deaths due to this drug on our streets. It was soon discovered that the patches were from physicians writing prescriptions for this very powerful drug in large numbers.
At this time, a pharmacist (Mark Barnes) in Ottawa was doing a small fentanyl return program for his clients and shared his protocol with us. We then drafted a very detailed “P4P Return Procedure” which we took to various forums, physicians, pharmacist, physician’s meetings etc.
Following multiple changes to the original procedure we held a press Conference on Dec. 6, 2013 where a Letter of Agreement was signed by the appropriate representative (Chief of Police of North Bay, West Nipissing, OPP, Pharmacist and Head of Family Practice. The protocol was then sent to every pharmacy in the District of Nipissing. Repeated the process in West Nipissing.
July 10, 2014 Proposal to MPP V. Fedeli for a Privates Member Bill for the P4P
Oct. 10, 2014 Ist Reading of “Safeguarding our Communities Act” Patch 4 Patch Return Policy
May 7, 2017 2nd Reading of Bill 33
Dec. 2016 Bill 33 received Royal Assent
Prior to receiving Royal Assent 49 communities had already adopted the P4P procedure….
Fall of 2015 – Fentanyl powder hit the area
To support the P4P procedure we developed a Fentanyl Brochure Titled” Don’t Get Hooked on Fentanyl…(powder) this educational brochures developed by Ed Eng was delivered to every secondary and grade 7-8 school in the District of Nipissing in hopes that students would be educated about the fentanyl powder.