The Grey Bruce Public Health Unit. (Matt Hermiz/Bayshore Broadcasting)
Grey Bruce Public Health says its working on a more holistic approach to harm reduction and services for those who use opioids.
Public Health Physician Specialist Dr. Rim Zayed gave an update during the Board of Health’s September meeting, saying they’re continuing to work with outreach services and local police to develop a more well-rounded plan for preventing overdoses.
They’ve been working on restructuring their approach to harm reduction with community groups.
She says they are also hoping to shift some focus toward preventing drug use in the region, particularly when it comes to youth.
“We didn’t have much focus on prevention, so we want to have this especially for youth to improve resilience.”
Zayed also says that they are going to continue their work on what’s in place already as well, namely for wraparound services.
“We’re taking a holistic approach, having social navigation, and helping people through employment and housing all of these wraparound services.”
Grey Bruce Health says that there have been improvements with community outreach, as well as the ability for drug users to test their drugs due to safety concerns, however, there were still 7 overdoses in Owen Sound alone reported over the Labour Day long weekend.