Pubdate: Tue, 17 Jan 2017 Source: Nanaimo News Bulletin (CN BC) Copyright: 2017, BC Newspaper Group Contact: http://www.nanaimobulletin.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/948 Author: Tamara Cunningham Page: A1 ISLAND HEALTH, CITY PICK SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR OVERDOSE PREVENTION SITE Island Health aims to open an overdose prevention site at Nanaimo's Wesley Street supportive housing complex this month. At a special council meeting Thursday, Nanaimo council authorized the use of 437 Wesley St., a supportive housing complex for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, to be used for Island Health's temporary overdose prevention service. Council also called for changes to the lease agreement between the city and province on the building and to the operating agreement to allow the property to be used for overdose prevention services through the existing operator, Canadian Mental Health Association, as well as to move forward on a joint public engagement process with Island Health for this site and a more permanent service. The move follows a meeting between city council and Island Health officials on Wednesday. Island Health has been under an order from the B.C. Health Minister since Dec. 9 to establish an overdose prevention service, where drug users at risk of an overdose can be monitored and intervention is on hand. It's considered a more temporary measure with a longer-term supervised consumption site requiring an application to federal government. Initially 526 Wentworth St., was named Island Health's planned site for overdose prevention. Dr. Paul Hasselback, Island Health's medical health officer for central Vancouver Island, told the News Bulletin that there was a preference for Wesley Street but it wasn't an option from an Island Health perspective unless the city was willing to bring it forward, which it did. He said the physical structure is better at Wesley Street, as is access and proximity of where the need seems to be. "We did have a concern, as did others, about the location of Pauline Haarer [Elementary] School being closer to Wentworth and so truly an attempt to try to put some separation between populations that might perceive that as being a threat," he said. "We've learned from our friends that have put the pop-up in is it's well accepted, people come and go, it's not causing any angst or anxiety, it's actually improving or enhancing the immediate surrounding environments. "The pop-up also is closer to the Wesley Street location so when the time comes to transition the clientele going there it's actually going to be easier to do." The pop-up supervised consumption site is unsanctioned and has been operating in the city hall parking lot since Dec. 26. Coun. Gord Fuller, involved with the site, said it will shut down the minute Wesley Street's temporary site opens. "In the meantime, we can inform people that this is where we are working to get it so that they know where it's going to go," he said. The hope is to have Wesley Street site mobilized by the end of January, according to Hasselback. - --- MAP posted-by: