THUNDER BAY – The Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) is hosting an open house on January 22, 2019, from 3:00 – 6:00 pm at NorWest Community Health Centres, 525 Simpson Street, Thunder Bay, ON P7C 3J6.
The Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) provides clients with a safe place to consume their illicit drugs. The service offers a safe consumption education, harm reduction supplies, and, overdose response. Consumption is supervised by a Registered Nurse. Our Harm Reduction Worker and Registered Nurse will connect clients to community resources, such as housing, mental health and addiction services, primary health care and social services. The intent of the service is to save lives, provide a safe place to consume drugs, provide timely overdose response, increase engagement and support to individuals who would otherwise not seek access to care, increase access to mental health and addiction services, and reduce the impact on emergency services.
NorWest Community Health Centres Overdose Prevention Site will serve a need our community desperately needs. With these services, we will see a decrease in drug injections in public spaces, see fewer syringes discarded in the streets, and an increase to public safety. And because OPS staff are able to provide overdose interventions, they lighten the burden for emergency rooms.
NorWest Community Health Centres are proud to offer this service in our community in collaboration with our community partners and to play an important role in responding to the opioid crisis in our community. We’ve also been pleased to see so much interest in the community about the services that we offer.
For over 25 years, NorWest Community Health Centres has worked to improve the health and well being of individuals and communities who are at risk or are experiencing barriers to accessing health and social supports. We provide services in Thunder Bay, Armstrong, Longlac and rural communities through the mobile health services programs.
Please come out to see the space and meet our team!