Doctors for Safer Drug Policy is a group of Island physicians and harm-reduction advocates helping other communities across Canada establish overdose prevention sites near hospitals, with the site across from Nanaimo Regional General Hospital shown here in operation on Dec. 15, 2024. (Submitted/Doctors for Safe Drug Policy on Facebook)

By Jordan Davidson

overdose prevention

Unsanctioned OPS continues near Nanaimo hospital, movement spreads across Canada

Jan 6, 2025 | 5:18 PM

NANAIMO — A group of Island doctors and volunteers pushing for governments and health authorities to provide overdose prevention sites at hospitals continues gaining traction.

Doctors for Safer Drug Policy has continued operating their unsanctioned pop-up overdose prevention site (OPS) across from the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) periodically since Nov. 18, when their plan to set up on hospital grounds was halted by NRGH staff.

Nanaimo-based family and addictions medicine physician Dr. Jessica Wilder said since their initial action, they’ve received a “nationwide plea for support” from people wanting to know how to operate an OPS site at or near their local hospitals.

“In response…we’ve created a toolkit that describes how we’ve organized our overdose prevention site to make it easier for other people to do the same, and we’ve distributed this across Canada. We’re currently officially coast-to-coast, we have 20 sites across Canada being organized for hospital-based overdose prevention.”

Dr. Jessica Wilder and Doctors for Safer Drug Policy attempted to set up an OPS on Nanaimo hospital grounds on Nov. 18, 2024, but were told by Island Health staff they weren’t allowed, so they moved their set up across Boundary Ave. instead, and have been in operation periodically since then. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW.)

charge laid

Woman charged following death of infant in Ladysmith

9h ago

power out

Impaired driver cuts power to huge area of south Nanaimo after late night crash

11h ago

service delays

Canada Post returns to full service for domestic parcels; letters still delayed

14h ago

She said they’ve heard from groups in big cities and rural areas, including places she said are less accepting of OPSs, like Alberta and Ontario.

Wilder said they continue to receive positive support from the community, and she said it’s time for all levels of government to step up.

“Our community members are tired of seeing our unhoused patients coming to harm on the street…I think that everybody is really tired of seeing our government fail to respond to this issue, and the reality is that we as the experts working on the frontline of this crisis, have the medical expertise and have some of the answers of how we can be working to prevent these deaths.”

She said it’s unfortunate that groups like theirs haven’t been brought to the table with governments to discuss the best way to prevent harm, as 1,925 people died from toxic drugs in B.C. last year.

Wilder said right now health authorities who have these unsanctioned OPSs are “gaining the benefit” of having the services donated to them, but more needs to be done, as multiple British Columbians die very day from toxic drugs.

As the province enters its ninth year since declaring toxic drugs a public health crisis, Wilder said it’s concerning they have yet to see governments respond as quickly to this crisis as they did during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It seems to be saying that they don’t value the lives of our vulnerable and marginalized population as much as the lives being lost during COVID, and I hope they can reconsider the message that they’re sending to the public in not responding to this.”

The group plans to be set up across from NRGH on Monday and Tuesday of this week, with more information on the Doctors for Safe Drug policy found here on their Facebook page.

— with files from Jon De Roo/97.3 FM The Eagle

Local news. Delivered. Free. Subscribe to our daily news wrap and get our top local stories delivered to your email inbox every evening.

info@nanaimonewsnow.com

Follow us on: Twitter (X) | Bluesky | Facebook