As more and more information is gathered on intravenous drug use in the area, the local Northwestern Health Unit office remains positive about starting up a needle exchange program here.
“We want to meet the needs of people if that need is there,” said Ken Allan, team leader at the local health unit. “It’s difficult to demonstrate that need before we have the program.”
“That was the case with the programs in Thunder Bay, where they didn’t know there was a problem until all these needles started coming in,” he added.
Still, Allan admitted the process to determine a need was necessary to justify the program. After a meeting Monday evening, he and partners from various social and health services are now working to do two things–gather data on intravenous drug use in the district, and get a better idea on how to implement such a program with input from others.
“People agree that it’s something that should be looked at,” he said. “We’re at a stage right now where we have to go back to our respective services and get a read from some other people, then get direction from there.”
Although no further meetings have been scheduled between the partners, Allan said he’d like to take things further at the next one.
“We’re going to see if we can get someone from a program that is already up and running. We think that would be extremely useful,” he remarked.
The nearest needle exchange programs are in Thunder Bay and Winnipeg but they also are being looked at in Kenora and Sioux Lookout.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
