NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO – The Northwestern Health Unit is looking for members of Kenora, Dryden, Fort Frances, and Sioux Lookout communities to partake in an online survey about supervised consumption services.
Supervised consumption services are legally sanctioned spaces where people are allowed to use illegal drugs in a clean, safe, and supportive environment.
According to the release submitted by the NWHU, this does not mean that people can obtain illegal drugs at the supervised consumption site; however, the site aims at providing a safe space to reduce overdose-related injuries and death, to reduce public drug use, improperly discarded needles, and minimize the risks related to sharing or reusing drug-use equipment.
Supervised consumption services also increases access to healthcare and supportive services for people who use drugs.
Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kit Young Hoon says, “before moving forward, we are interested in learning what our communities’ perspectives are on supervised consumption services. This includes questions about whether the services would be useful, and what additional considerations need to be discussed locally regarding these services."
The health unit encourages everyone in the region to provide feedback by completing the online survey by Aug. 12, 2022.
For more information and to access the survey, visit the NWHU website.
