Supervised drug program to be studied soon

published on December 7, 2016 in The Chronical Journal

The City of Thunder Bay is getting ready to start its feasibility study on supervised injection services.

A presentation is scheduled for next Tuesday at city hall. Taking part will be Dr. Thomas Kerr, principal investigator for the study, Jean Bacon, director of Ontario HIV Treatment Network, and Cynthia Olsen, co-ordinator of the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy.

The study will look at people’s willingness to use supervised injection services as well as getting feedback from community members, health-care providers, government and law enforcement.

Both Thunder Bay and London have been chosen to take part in the study. Thunder Bay was picked because of 29 deaths in 2013 that were related to drug and alcohol abuse. The city’s needle exchange is one of the most frequently used in the province with more than 3,800 clients using the service.

Supervised injection services includes a safe and hygienic place for people to inject drugs under the care of nurses or other health-care staff.