While it waits for federal approval for safe injection sites in Kelowna, the Interior Health Authority (IHA) is putting the wheels in motion for another tool in the fight against fentanyl.
As early as this April, mobile overdose prevention sites will be driving around Kelowna.
“It’ll be something like an RV, offering multiple services,” chief medical health officer Dr. Trevor Corneil said.
READ MORE: Emergency overdose sites opening in Kelowna
An overdose prevention site opened downtown Kelowna on Ellis Street in December but will be closing by this coming May or June. IHA is still looking for a fixed location in Rutland to have a site in that area of the city, but the roving mobile units will be setting up in areas all across Kelowna.
Dr. Corneil admits it’s hard to quantify the success of overdose prevention sites.
“The only way to measure positive impact during this crisis is by how many people we save, is how many people don’t die,” Dr. Corneil said.
“We have not had a single death occur in any of our overdose prevention sites. We know that people have used and are doing it safely.”
According to IHA, the latest numbers show people are dying from opioid overdoses at the same rate of those killed in car crashes in B.C.