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Back to SearchJune 26, 2025, Ottawa, Ont. — Starting today, CHEO is launching a naloxone take-home kit program that makes it easier for patients, families, and caregivers to access life-saving medication.
In alignment with Ontario’s harm reduction strategy, trained CHEO nurses will distribute naloxone kits that include a nasal spray, which is easier to administer and safer for public use because there are no needles, which reduces the risk of injury.
The take-home kits are offered in eight units at CHEO, including the Emergency Department and mental health units, for use by patients, families, and caregivers.
CHEO, as a partner of the Kids Come First Health Team, continues to expand its support for children and youth dealing with substance use and addictions. This move also supports CHEO’s broader mission to provide compassionate, family-centred care and to reduce the harms associated with opioid use.
The kits are funded and supplied by the Ontario Ministry of Health. For more information about Ontario’s naloxone programs, please visit: https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-naloxone-program.
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About CHEO
Based in Canada’s capital, CHEO is a globally renowned health institution with a mission to provide exceptional care and support to children, youth and their families. Opening our doors in 1974, we offer a full range of specialized pediatric care and services to children from eastern and northern Ontario, western Quebec and Nunavut. Our site is home to a hospital, a children’s treatment centre, a school, a research institute, and is affiliated with the University of Ottawa as an academic health science centre. Named Canada’s best health-care employer by Forbes in 2024 and 2025, we are home to more than 6,500 staff, clinicians, scientists and researchers, as well as volunteers – all of whom work together to help children and youth achieve their best lives.