On May 27, 2025, the Chatham-Kent Ontario Health Team (CKOHT) brought together over 150 people at the W.I.S.H. Centre for a collaborative Community Drug Strategy Forum.
The event united policy leaders, frontline staff, management teams, and individuals with lived and living expertise from across the region to prioritize key actions for implementing the CK Community Drug Strategy.
The forum created space for meaningful discussion, shared learning and forward planning.
Participants worked together to establish priority actions aimed at preventing and addressing substance use related harms in Chatham-Kent.
Through collaborative dialogue and group work, community partners aligned on creating a shared path forward that supports the strategy’s vision: “A caring, inclusive, and safe community that works together to reduce the harms, stigma, and systemic barriers associated with substance use.”
The CK Community Drug Strategy is guided by four key pillars:
– Prevention
– Treatment and Recovery
– Community Inclusion and Safety
– Harm Reduction
In March 2024, Chatham-Kent Municipal Council approved the implementation of the strategy, which is being led by the CKOHT in partnership with organizations from across the not-for-profit, private, and public sectors, as well as people with lived and living expertise of substance use.
To learn more about the CK Community Drug Strategy and get involved in the conversation, please visit: www.letstalkchatham-kent.ca/ckmunicipaldrugstrategy
