Health Services

At the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), one of our priorities is ensuring that individuals incarcerated in Canada's federal institutions have access to quality, safe, patient-centred care. This is underscored by CSC’s legislative mandate, the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA), to provide essential health care and reasonable access to non-essential health care, in keeping with professional standards.

CSC’s Health Services are accredited by Accreditation Canada, the same organization that accredits hospitals and other services across the country. The delivery of care is provided by health care professionals who are registered or licensed in Canada including:

  • physicians,
  • nurses,
  • pharmacists,
  • psychiatrists,
  • psychologists,
  • occupational therapists,
  • social workers,
  • dentists, and
  • other relevant specialists.

Consistent with the Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy and in recognition that problematic substance use is a health issue, CSC has a range of:

  • prevention,
  • harm reduction and
  • treatments

to work with individuals in response to this need. Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT), psychosocial support and peer support are among CSC’s suite of comprehensive health services.

Since 2016, CSC has significantly expanded its harm reduction initiatives in an effort to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases. The Prison Needle Exchange Program and the Overdose Prevention Service are the cornerstone of CSC’s harm reduction initiatives. Patients have access to:

  • prevention services,
  • health screening at intake,
  • HIV and hepatitis C treatments,
  • pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis therapy.

Other important services include the increased availability of Naloxone not only to front-line staff but also in living units to ensure better access.

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