Bruce County launches community outreach and support team

October 13, 2026

A group of people standing in front of a Bruce County COAST ambulance

OMERS employer, Bruce County, recently partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Grey Bruce to launch the Community Outreach and Support Team (COAST). This mobile team aims to provide Bruce County residents with low-barrier mental health, addictions, housing and harm reduction services.

COAST is funded through Health Canada’s Emergency Treatment Fund, targeting opioid overdose prevention programs. “Addressing the drug and overdose crisis is complex and requires us all to work together to save lives … this work will reduce barriers, strengthen local partnerships and support safer, healthier communities,” says the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health.

COAST aims to:

Provide mental health, addictions, and housing support through mobile outreach.
Track local drug poisonings and provide targeted interventions with community partners.
Host pop-up outreach events across Bruce County.
Connect with people experiencing housing instability.
Increase awareness of harm reduction and available community supports.

COAST is comprised of a mobile, multidisciplinary team, designed to connect people with care exactly where they are. Thanks to this flexible approach, rural communities across Bruce County will be able to access mental healthcare services.

The team includes a Harm Reduction Counsellor and Peer Worker from CMHA Grey Bruce, a Community Support Coordinator from Bruce County Human Services, and a Community Paramedic from Bruce County Paramedic Services.

Between July 2026 and March 31, 2027, COAST plans to serve communities across Bruce County. Services will be delivered through a combination of scheduled community visits, encampment outreach and motel shelter site visits. They will also provide support in rural and underserved communities and connect with individuals unable to access traditional service locations.

“Bruce County’s rural communities need solutions that recognize the realities of distance, transportation barriers, and limited access to services. The COAST program is an important example of how federal funding can support local partners in delivering mobile, low-barrier care,” comments Alex Ruff, MP Grey-Bruce-Owen-Sound.

More information about COAST services can be found on Bruce County’s Get support page.