Toronto, ON – September 22, 2025 – Our Healthbox has officially launched at Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre (WHIWH), with support from the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR).
This Healthbox provides free access to HIV self-tests, naloxone kits, harm reduction supplies, and sexual health products at WHIWH—a leading organization delivering culturally safe primary healthcare to racialized women, trans, and non-binary clients from African, Black, Caribbean, Latin American, and South Asian communities in Toronto and surrounding municipalities.
Developed by Dr. Sean B. Rourke, Director of REACH Nexus at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital (Unity Health Toronto), Healthboxes are cutting-edge machines that feature interactive touchscreens mounted on commercial vending machines.
These health vending machines provide low-barrier, cost-free access to HIV self-test kits—empowering individuals to “know their status”—as well as naloxone kits that can reverse opioid overdoses. They also offer wellness products (such as menstrual and hygiene items including deodorant, lip balm, toothbrushes, and toothpaste) and harm reduction supplies tailored to each community’s needs.
Each unit includes vital health information and a service directory to help users connect with local healthcare and support services. By providing anonymous access to supplies, Healthboxes reduce stigma and eliminate common barriers to care—ensuring people can get what they need, when they need it.
WHIWH is North America’s only community health centre providing specialized primary care for Black, racialized women, trans, and non-binary people. Its multidisciplinary team delivers holistic, quality care through a trauma-informed, intersectional, anti-racist, and harm reduction framework, improving health outcomes and access for priority populations.
“Women’s Health In Women’s Health Community Health Centre is dedicated to ensuring that health care for our communities remains accessible, relevant, culturally safe and innovative,” said Wangari Tharao, Director of Research and Programs.
“The Healthbox is an exciting and necessary addition to our strategy of breaking down barriers to healthcare and related health products.”
Since its introduction in 2023, Our Healthbox has expanded nationwide. Today, 16 machines serve families and communities across Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and New Brunswick, with additional units planned for Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and the Northwest Territories.
The WHIWH launch—alongside recent installations at Dixon Hall in Toronto, the North Bay Parry Sound Health Unit in Northern Ontario, and St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg—has been generously supported by CANFAR. Dixon Hall and St. Boniface received special funding from BMO.
"Our Healthboxes have proven to be invaluable tools, helping us to close gaps in health inequities for priority populations," said Roxanne Ma, Interim Co-Executive Director at CANFAR. "African, Caribbean and Black and other racialized women are overrepresented among new HIV cases in Canada. We're pleased to partner with WHIWH to bring the tools directly into the hands of those who need them most, giving communities agency over their sexual health options."
Dr. Rourke emphasized that this initiative supports people who may be excluded from traditional healthcare due to stigma or systemic barriers.
“Launching a Healthbox at WHIWH is powerful because it builds on their unwavering commitment to Black, racialized women, trans, and non-binary people who continue to face some of the deepest barriers to care,” said Dr. Rourke. “Together, we are dismantling these systemic barriers so no one is excluded from the right to health and healing.”
Beyond convenience, Our Healthbox units are equipped with real-time data analytics to monitor usage patterns, ensure product availability, and inform rapid, evidence-based public health responses.
To date, the machines have reached over 12,000 people, distributing more than 69,000 health and harm reduction supplies—including over 3,100 naloxone kits and 1,500 HIV self-test kits.
Our Healthbox is generously funded by The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC); St. Michael's Foundation, The Jackman Foundation, Power To Give Foundation. Our Healthbox launches in Atlantic Canada are funded by Even the Odds, a partnership between Staples Canada and MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions.
For more information about Our Healthbox and to find a location near you, please visit www.ourhealthbox.ca.
About REACH Nexus at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions
REACH Nexus is an ambitious national research group working on how to address HIV, Hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) in Canada.
REACH is a part of MAP, located at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto – Canada's largest research centre focused on health equity and the social determinants of health. It is ocused is on reaching the undiagnosed, implementing and scaling up new testing options, strengthening connections to care, improving access to options for prevention (PrEP and PEP) and ending stigma.
About CANFAR
The Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR) is Canada’s leading independent voice for the fight against HIV/AIDS. CANFAR is committed to supporting research, education, and community outreach programs that address the prevention, treatment, and stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS.
REACH Nexus Contact
Andrew Russell
Senior Communications Specialist
REACH Nexus - MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions
📧 andrew.russell@unityhealth.to
📞 416-268-7642
