The Brave App for Communities

Overdose Detection for Communities at Risk

A mobile app to help prevent fatal overdoses in your community.

The Brave App can be used by anyone, anywhere. It’s also available as a community-wide solution to address the opioid overdose crisis in your local area. You can license a customized or private-labeled version of the app, build a volunteer network of local community members, and provide immediate connection for people who use drugs (PWUD) in your area.

By the community for the community

  • provides an optimal sense of connection and understanding
  • helps address language and communication barriers
  • provides callers with a way to connect to local services

Connect people who use drugs alone with caring supporters who can activate life-saving community and emergency response.

Connect with Brave
Screenshots from The Brave App with the welcome screen and a Rescue Plan that details how to respond if someone overdoses

Are you looking to use The Brave App as an individual?

Overdose Detection Saves Lives

Despite harm reduction practices, drug testing, and efforts to ensure safe supply, overdose occurs every day. But overdose fatalities don’t have to. Most overdoses are reversible with the quick administration of naloxone.

To be reversed, an overdose must first be detected.

This is hard when so many people choose to use drugs alone.

The Brave App provides virtual access to remote supervision and overdose support. It makes overdose detection available wherever and whenever people use drugs.

10,000
+

connections to care

650
+

safer spaces

150
+

overdoses detected and reversed

Benefits of Virtual Supervised Consumption

Supervised consumption works. It’s proven to significantly reduce overdose fatalities in practicing areas. But communities in North America have struggled to get life-saving supervised consumption sites sanctioned.

The Brave App makes virtual supervised consumption accessible to everyone, especially those most at risk.

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    Supports areas underserved by emergency or harm reduction services
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    Increases equitable access to support
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    Decreases social isolation
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    Increases social connection
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    Connects service participants to community resources
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    Provides information for local safe(r) drug use supplies

How The Brave App Works

The Brave App is a smartphone application that connects a Caller who is consumingdrugs alone to a trained Supporter who stays on the line with them as there’s potential for an overdose to happen. Anyone in your community who uses drugs can download and use The Brave App on their Android or Apple device. Callers remain anonymous. Their location is only revealed if it’s necessary to keep them safe.

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    An app user downloads the app and sets up a Rescue Plan detailing how, when, and who will be sent for help in the event of an overdose.
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    The Caller anonymously and privately uses The Brave App (via a cell phone signal or Wi-Fi connection) to virtually connect with a Supporter when they’re about to use drugs alone.
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    The Supporter on the other end of the app chats with the Caller until they are safe.
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    If the Caller becomes unresponsive, the Supporter initiates the Rescue Plan according to the instructions the user provided.
A person who uses drugs and a volunteer supporter using The Brave App to review a Rescue Plan together

Co-Designed with PWUD and Those Who Love Them

For Overdose Detection tools to be effective, they must be tailored to the needs of those most at risk of overdose.

Thousands of people who use drugs (PWUD), along with dozens of organisations striving to solve the opioid overdose crisis, have co-designed The Brave App.

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    People who use drugs
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    Healthcare providers
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    Harm reductionists
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    Emergency services
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    Research groups
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    Government agencies
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    Public health groups

Giving Communities Peace of Mind

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Jackie Forman
CEO at Company

“This app is evidence that there are innovative and respectful ways to keep the people that we love safe while using drugs.”

E. Loska

“Why isn’t this everywhere? This needs to be everywhere.”

Manager
John Howard Society

“This app is amazing, if for no other reason because it saves lives. But also because it promotes community members to be involved in supporting their own community by meeting people where they're at!”

E. Styles

Public spaces across North America are using Brave Overdose Detection tools to keep their communities safe.

Implementing The Brave App in Your Community

We work closely with community leaders to develop pilot programs that test and prove the value of The Brave App within their communities. Pilots look a little different for every community and are generally divided into five stages.

Stage 1

Engagement, Recruitment, Co-Design & Onboarding

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Recruit and train an internal project manager.
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Identify and engage core outreach partners.
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Identify, engage, and vet core Supporters.
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Draft, validate, and print program materials.
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Conduct call simulations and response testing.
A team of people working together to implement The Brave App within a community
Stage 2

Launch & Scale

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Onboard the first 10 Callers.
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Scale to 100 Callers.
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Grow Supporter network to match Caller volume.
A network of Brave Supporters, volunteers who help people who use drugs stay safe through The Brave App
Stage 3

System Performance & Maintenance

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Brave staff provides ongoing support and monitoring.
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Make adjustments where possible to increase the safety of Callers and Supporters.
Text bubbles to represent a sample conversation between a community project manager and the Brave team
Stage 4

Engagement Performance & Monitoring

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Conduct weekly interviews with sampling of participants.
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Share and collect feedback forms every month.
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Gather real-time notes and feedback about calls from Supporters.
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Capture data from active response operations.
Forms to collect feedback from volunteers and users of The Brave App
Stage 5

Data Evaluation & Reporting

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Brave provides data on the time, duration, events and outcome of calls.
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Summarise all learnings from pilot phase, including design changes, additional features, integrations, complimentary offerings etc.
Sample reports that summarize call outcomes other learnings from a community pilot of The Brave App

Once the pilot establishes the efficacy of The Brave App for your area, we’ll help you develop a full-scale rollout plan to serve the community at large.

Ready to Solve the Overdose Crisis in Your Community?

If you’d like to learn more about implementing The Brave App in your community, we’d love to connect with you. Send us a note and we’ll get back to you quickly.

Interested in More Overdose Detection Solutions to Protect Your Community

Brave Buttons are small safety buttons designed for supportive housing.

Brave Sensors are reverse-motion sensor systems designed for public bathrooms and washrooms.