The Needle Distribution and Disposal Site is located at 25 Revere Street, Truro, Nova Scotia.

The NHCS fixed site is open Monday – Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm. If you are in need of a local delivery, please call the fixed site at 902-895-0931 before 3:30 pm to ensure staff have enough time to pack your order. Orders made late in the day may not be delivered until the following business day.

The safest way to inject substances is to use new supplies every time. Risk of infection is much greater when supplies of any kind are shared.

If using alone, it is strongly recommended to have a family member or trusted friend who will check on you to ensure your safety. Make sure you have a Naloxone Kit readily available and a person who knows how to administer this drug in the case of an overdose.

To get a free Naloxone Kit,  contact NHCS or stop by the main office at 25 Revere St, Truro. Naloxone training is also available at the fixed site.

There is no shame in asking for help. Call 911 if you are worried about yourself or others. The Good Samaritan Act may protect you from simple drug charges. Find out more here.

Harm Reduction supplies provided:

• 28g & 30g syringes
• 3ml barrels
• 21g, 23g, 26g, 27g needle tips
• Fentanyl, Benzodiazepine, and Xylazine test strips
• Face masks
• Alcohol swabs
• Ties (tourniquets)
• Filters
• Cookers
• Vitamin C
• Sterile water
• Screens
• Safer smoking kits (glass straight pipe, pusher, rubber mouth piece, and pack of 10 brass screens)
• Bowl pipes
• Bandages
• Polysporin
• Condoms
• Personal lubricant
• Small, medium and large sharps containers

NHCS offers Mobile Outreach Services.
Same supplies, same services, but delivered to your area.

Mobility challenges, lack of transport, low income, and lack of phone access or cell service in rural areas can make it tough for clients to receive the services they need. NHCS Mobile Outreach hopes to bridge that gap by meeting people where they are at, and providing a safe and supportive way to access services. 

Check out the list of delivery sites below, or visit the Mobile Outreach Delivery Map to see where Harm Reduction services are offered.

Colchester/East Hants

• Millbrook First Nations Community (pop. 860)
• Sipekne’Katik First Nations Community (pop. 1,084)
• Shubenacadie (pop. 2074)
• Stewiacke (pop. 1,373)
• Milford (pop. 1,000)

Pictou County

• Pictou Landing First Nations Community (pop.485)
• Pictou (pop. 3,186)
• Trenton (pop.2,474)
• Stellarton (pop. 4,208)
• New Glasgow (pop. 9,075)
• Westville (pop. 3,628)

Cumberland County

• Amherst (pop. 9,413)
• Oxford (pop. 1,190)
• Parrsboro (pop. 1,205)
• Springhill (pop. 2,743)

Face masks are also available while supplies last, just ask!

NHCS offers a “Better Off in the Box” program that provides safe, secure Needle Disposal Boxes in discreet locations throughout the Northern Health Zone.

Two of these boxes are located in the town of Truro, one in the town of Amherst and eight throughout the Millbrook First Nations Community. The funding for the Truro and Amherst disposal boxes came through Community Health Board Grants.

The eight disposal boxes in Millbrook First Nations Community were provided through funding received from the First Nations Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada, as well as two large boxes in Sipekne’Katik First Nations Community.

These boxes are for single loose needles. If you have multiple needles and/or used supplies, please put them in a sealed Sharps container. If you do not have a Sharps container and must dispose of supplies, please put them in any sturdy, sealed container (Gatorade/pop bottle with cap, kitty litter container etc.) and clearly label it as Sharps.

Drop them off at the NHCS fixed site at 25 Revere St, Truro during regular business hours. When first entering the building, just behind the door is a large box with a yellow plastic liner where sharps containers can be deposited. You can also give them to the staff team of the Mobile Outreach Services, or take them to your local pharmacy. Be sure to request a sharps container for the future!

NHCS provides yellow sharps containers in small, medium and large to clients and businesses in the Northern Zone. To request a Sharps container, ask a staff member when placing an order or contact NHCS.

It is extremely important to properly dispose of any sharps to prevent injury and bloodborne infections. Be Responsible. Be Safe.

NHCS employs a trained Support Coordinator to aid clients wherever they are in their substance-use journey.

To book an appointment, contact NHCS and ask for the support coordinator, or set an appointment time when you pick up an order at the fixed site.

Services the NHCS Support Coordinator offers:

• Supervised access to a laptop for the purpose of finding housing, online job applications, online banking, etc.
• Information on how to find an apartment/housing
• Information on applying for income assistance

The Support Coordinator can also provide information on:

• Emergency shelters and Housing Nova Scotia
• Food banks and soup kitchens/church suppers
• Opioid treatment programs, Recovery support centres and Methadone clinics
• Mental health services
• Sexualized violence and sexual health resources
• Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous groups
• Emergency rooms and walk-in clinics
• Legal services such as Nova Scotia Legal Aid, Victim Services, Elizabeth Fry Society
• Adult Learning programs and the Colchester Adult Learning Association
• Youth groups
• 2SLGBTQ+ support programs
• Support and accompaniment to court appearances or medical appointments