Island Health ‘weeks’ away from opening overdose-prevention site in Nanaimo
NANAIMO — It will likely still be weeks before an Island Health sanctioned overdose-prevention site is operating in Nanaimo, according to one of their medical health officers.
But Dr. Paul Hasselback says a so-called pop-up safe consumption site in the parking lot at City Hall is providing a needed service for the community and has stimulated dialogue that will lead to something official being established soon.
“The pop-up is a thoughtful way of encouraging and ensuring that the dialogue continues in a constructive and expeditious fashion,” said Hasselback. “It’s clearly demonstrated that this community is ready for and wants this service to be provided and recognizes there is a need. There’s been far too many tragedies in Nanaimo over the past four years.”
After Councillors Gord Fuller and Jim Kipp, with the help of a team of volunteers, set up an unsanctioned supervised location for drug injection on Dec. 26, Island Health stated it was their goal to have a sanctioned facility operating in the first week of January. Hasselback says that won’t happen, noting the holiday break made it very difficult to move things along quickly.