As part of New Brunswick’s five-year addictions and mental health “action plan” revealed Tuesday, the province has committed to creating overdose prevention sites.
Bruce Macfarlane, a Department of Health spokesperson, confirmed Wednesday that one overdose prevention site is planned for the Greater Moncton area and will “be operational in 2021.”
Debby Warren, the executive director of Ensemble Moncton, a harm reduction organization, was thrilled to learn the province had committed to creating at least one overdose prevention site.
In fact, she’s been waiting for the announcement.
“We have the room already, the renovations have been done to accommodate it,” she tells Global News.
And she’s eager to get started. To the province, Warren says, “Just show me your money.”
An overdose prevention site would allow staff to ensure someone doesn’t overdose “because the drug supply is so uncertain, and we don’t know the content; we’re experiencing a lot of overdose happening,” Warren says.
“(People) bring their drugs with them, we provide them with resources, we monitor and make sure they don’t overdose,” she says.
“It’s not one thing (that) will fix it all… The overdose prevention site will keep them alive,” Warren says.
Health Minister Dorothy Shephard said Tuesday that drugs would be tested at an overdose prevention site, to ensure they aren’t laced with other substances.
“When you’re always working towards harm reduction, it is with a priority for sure that individuals who are putting drugs in their body or putting in what they think they’re putting in,” Shephard said at a news conference unveiling the plan. “We want to have a safe place for needles to be left behind. This is as much about community safety as it is also outreach.”
Macfarlane said in a statement on behalf of the province that “other sites may be added based on the needs of the communities and the ability to have community-based organizations to come together to propose a plan to implement these services.”
“The outcomes of the OPS site implemented in 2021 will be monitored,” he said.
According to Warren, New Brunswick has the second-highest injection drug user population, per capita, in the country, second to British Columbia.
“I am floored by that, but again, not surprised when I see the demand on our services and the other ones in the province,” she says.
“We can’t afford to ignore this anymore.”
But despite lack of confirmation from the province, Warren is quite confident the OPS site will open at Ensemble Greater Moncton.
“I would say by September, we should be able to open the doors,” she says.
- ‘Bacterial vampirism’: Deadly pathogens attracted to human blood, study finds
- Shoppers faces proposed class action over claims company is ‘abusive’ to pharmacists
- Most Canadian youth visit dentists, but lack of insurance a barrier
- Landmark smoking ban that would phase out sales passes U.K. parliament
Comments