November 2025 Board of Health Meeting - WECOSS Anti-Stigma Initiative Information Report

PREPARED BY: Substance Use Prevention And Harm Reduction

DATE: 2025-11-20

Substance use stigma refers to the negative attitudes, stereotypes, and discrimination directed towards people who use substances. This stigma often frames substance use as a moral failing rather than a complex health issue, leading to shame, social isolation, and barriers to seeking support. People who experience stigma may avoid accessing support services out of fear of being judged or mistreated, which can worsen health outcomes and perpetuate the cycle of a substance use disorder. Anti-stigma initiatives that challenge harmful narratives surrounding substance use are crucial to fostering supportive environments where individuals feel safe to speak openly about their experiences, seek care, and recover.

As part of ongoing efforts to reduce substance use stigma, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) has partnered with the Harm Reduction Working Group of the Windsor-Essex Community Opioid and Substance Strategy (WECOSS) to launch an evidence-based anti-stigma initiative aimed at creating long-term systemic changes through continuous education and policy supports. This intervention is one part of the WECOSS’ comprehensive public health approach to reducing substance use harms in Windsor-Essex County.

CURRENT INITIATIVES

The WECOSS’ anti-stigma initiative is comprised of the following components: 

1. Anti-Stigma Organizational Policy Template – A policy template has been created for community organizations that work with or support people who use substances. The purpose of the policy template is to provide organizations with a set of standardized procedures and practices that can be used to create inclusive, person-centered, and stigma-free service environments. The template is universal in that it can be applied and adapted to a wide range of community service settings, including treatment centres, healthcare facilities, emergency response services, justice-oriented organizations, and others. It is shaped by four guiding principles and includes practical strategies and approaches that staff at varying levels of the organization can adopt within their practice:
   • Harm Reduction – Focuses on building organizational cultures that support harm reduction as a valid care option, recognizing that recovery looks different for everyone and emphasizing the importance of meeting people where they are at.
   • Trauma and Violence-Informed Practice – Acknowledges the widespread impacts of trauma and violence and promotes safe and empowering environments that prevent re-traumatization (i.e., respecting the dignity, autonomy, and self-determination of people who use substances).
   • Equity and Inclusion – Respects the human rights of all individuals who use substances, supporting equal opportunity and fair treatment of individuals regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic or educational status, stage of recovery, health history, or level or type of care accessed.
   • Collaboration with People with Lived and Living Experience (PWLLE): Encourages equitable partnerships with PWLLE to address power imbalances and help create services that are responsive, accessible, and effective in meeting real-world needs.
2. Anti-Stigma E-Learning Modules – Two e-learning modules have been developed to support integration of the policy template into community service environments:
   • Anti-Stigma Education (Module 1) – The first module is targeted to all staff at community organizations and introduces stigma concepts, use of non-stigmatizing language, and staff roles in fostering stigma-free service environments.
   • Anti-Stigma Policy Implementation (Module 2) – The second module is targeted to policy leads at community organizations (e.g., leaders/managers, human resource representatives) and provides an overview of guiding strategies to support implementation of the policy.
3. In-Person Anti-Stigma Workshop – An in-person policy implementation workshop is being coordinated for Wednesday, November 26^th from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at the Caboto Club. The workshop will be co-facilitated by the WECHU’s Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction Department and the Harm Reduction Programs Coordinator at the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families (WCSWF). It will be targeted to policy leads at community organizations and include anti-stigma education, an overview of the policy template, and guidance on policy implementation. Peer Support Workers from the WCSWF will also be present at the session to share their insights on stigma and the impact it has on their clients.
4. Anti-Stigma Social Media Campaign – To support public understanding and supportive attitudes towards these topics, a public-facing educational campaign has also been launched on the WECHU’s social media channels with anti-stigma messaging. The content was developed in partnership with the WECHU’s Substance Use Peer Advisory Committee to ensure that the perspectives of those with lived/living experience were captured. The campaign consists of eight distinct messages that promote empathy, compassion, and respect for those who use substances, which are scheduled for release over the period of October 1^st to December 16^th of 2025. 

NEXT STEPS

As part of our organizational commitment to fostering a stigma-free service environment for people who use substances, the WECHU will also be adopting the anti-stigma policy as a corporate policy and will require all staff to complete the Anti-Stigma E-Learning Module (Module 1) as part of their mandated training. In the future, the WECHU will also explore opportunities to expand or adapt the policy and educational content to other health stigmas relevant to WECHU programs (e.g., mental health, STBBIs).