Home » Clinics, Classes & Events » The Point (harm reduction supplies and services)

The Point (harm reduction supplies and services)

Access to services: COVID-19

If you are visiting our office locations for clinical services, you will need to wear a mask. Certain exceptions may apply (for example, based on age or medical circumstances). We encourage you to bring your own mask. If you don’t have a mask or forgot to bring yours, we will give you one for your appointment, supplies permitting.

This requirement provides additional protection as distancing is not always guaranteed. To learn more about our services and some of the changes in place due to COVID-19, please check our Public Health services page.

The Point is a free and confidential program that provides harm reduction supplies and services to people who use drugs. It aims to reduce the risks of getting or passing on infectious diseases, like HIV and hepatitis C, and reduce risks associated with using drugs. We are committed to offering our clients services with respect and without judgement.

Free supplies and services:

The Sexual Health Clinic, located within Public Health Sudbury & Districts’ Elm Place site, also offers hepatitis B and C testing, hepatitis B vaccinations, anonymous HIV testing, and other services.

Have you found a needle?

Learn how to safely pick up a discarded needle and what to do with it.

The Point locations

For more information on where to safely dispose of supplies or where to find new supplies see Find Supplies – Ontario Harm Reduction Distribution Program.

Frequently asked questions

What is harm reduction?

From a Public Health perspective, harm reduction is a set of non-judgemental policies and programs that aim to provide or enhance skills, knowledge, resources, and support for people so that they can live safer, healthier lives. Harm reduction interventions can be geared towards the individual, family, community, or society. Examples of public health harm reduction strategies include condom distribution, smoking bans in public places, safer sex campaigns, needle and syringe programs (NSP), and low-risk alcohol drinking campaigns. Harm reduction services related to substance use aim to provide strategies to reduce drug-related harms including death, disease, and injury without requiring the cessation of drug use while also empowering people to have control of their health and well-being. For many people who use drugs, harm reduction is often the first or only link that they have to the health and social service system, and it can be a pathway to treatment and other services.

Does harm reduction work?

Harm reduction strategies are based on evidence. Research shows that needle and syringe programs do reduce the number of new infections of HIV and reduce risk behaviours among individuals who inject drugs. In addition to health promotion, needle and syringe programs also provide cost savings to the health care system.

Why is it necessary to provide supplies to people using drugs?

Public Health’s role is to reduce the harms and costs of infections like HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C, and to reduce transmission. Having access to needles and other supplies reduces the spread of these diseases as well as other serious health conditions.

Research

Needle and Syringe Programming within the City of Greater Sudbury

The Needle and Syringe Program (NSP) is part of a larger harm reduction program offered by Public Health Sudbury & Districts (Public Health). NSPs are a central form of harm reduction for individuals who use substances and support community safety. With an emphasis on evidence-informed practice, this report explores Public Health’s role in delivering harm reduction supplies and services and needle recovery services in Greater Sudbury.

Download the full report (PDF, 350 KB)

This item was last modified on May 31, 2023