Provincially-funded community action team to tackle overdose crisis in Nanaimo
NANAIMO — More boots will be on the ground in the harbour city to tackle the ongoing overdose crisis, which claimed 51 lives in Nanaimo last year.
Judy Darcy, minister of mental health and addictions, announced Nanaimo is one of 18 communities who will receive up to $100,000 for new community action teams.
“This overdose crisis is complex and there isn’t one simple solution,” she said. “I think we all know that, otherwise we would have already turned the tide significantly on this crisis. Different people need different pathways to hope.”
The teams, which Darcy said will be comprised of municipal staff, first responders, health care professionals and front-line agencies, are designed to build on the work already being done in the community, such as by Nanaimo’s public safety committee.