THUNDER BAY -- Elevate NWO has decided to pursue the establishment of a supervised injection site (SIS) at the organization's facilities on North Cumberland Street.
The board of directors voted unanimously in favour of the motion at its meeting on Thursday.
Elevate NWO provides confidential HIV/AIDS/Hepatitis C and harm reduction education, prevention and support services.
In an interview Monday with tbnewswatch.com, executive-director Holly Gauvin said that if the consultation and application process goes smoothly, Thunder Bay's first SIS could be operating within 12 to 18 months.
But Gauvin cautioned that numerous steps must be taken before the goal becomes reality
"Right now we're looking at developing potential models including what it would look like, what the flow would be. We're also going to engage the community in a dialogue around what they would like to see happen in the SIS program as well as hopefully mitigate any concerns that might come up."
Elevate NWO must also determine how it would be funded, and apply for an exemption under the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act for permission to operate a SIS.
Health Canada's website describes it "a location where people can bring their own illicit substances (substances obtained in an unauthorized manner) to consume under hygienic conditions with the supervision of trained workers thereby reducing health risks such as overdose, infections and increasing access to other health and social services including treatment."
Last spring, a feasibility study concluded that Thunder Bay requires two supervised injection sites, one in each of the north and south cores.
Gauvin said her group decided it's important that it take a leadership role in the project, since it was the first organization in Thunder Bay to provide harm reduction education when it was still operating as AIDS Thunder Bay.
"We're really excited about talking to the community about what we can put into place. I believe that our community is ready for this," she said, but she acknowledged that some members of the public will have concerns.
"We're really open to hearing what those concerns are, and to working with the community to address them."
But Gauvin added "I think we all understand that we can't continue providing services the same way we've been doing all these years. We have a real problem in Thunder Bay and we need to come up with innovative solutions."
A supervised injection site, she said, will be one of those solutions, whether it's provided by Elevate NWO or through some other organization.
The organization will work with the Ontario HIV treatment network on the consultation process and hopes to announce dates for community input in the coming weeks.
