Overdose prevention site opens in Cape Breton
A new overdose prevention site (OPS) opened this week in Sydney, providing people a safe space to use drugs and prevent opioid overdose deaths.
The site, known as Peer Six OPS, began operating on Monday on Prince Street. It’s the second overdose prevention site funded by a community-based organization in Nova Scotia after Direction 180’s ReFix in Halifax.
A press release from the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) noted that the site welcomed six clients within its first hour. For Christine Porter, executive director of Ally Centre of Cape Breton, the service marks a meaningful shift to reducing harm for people who use drugs on Cape Breton Island.
“Peer Six provides a safe and supportive environment for people to inject, snort, or ingest drugs. It is staffed by people with lived and living experience trained in all areas of overdose prevention and harm reduction," Porter said.
Dr. Jesse Kancir, medical officer of health for Nova Scotia’s Eastern Zone, agrees.
“Peer Six OPS is rooted in a compassionate, evidence-based, and client-centered public health approach," Kancir said. "This opening is an important milestone in efforts to help reduce health and social harms for people who use drugs in Cape Breton.”
Last year, Nova Scotia Health reported 15 substance-related deaths in the Eastern Zone of the province. Eight of those were opioid-related.
In a statement issued to CTV News Atlantic, NSHA senior communications advisor Brendan Elliott noted there are no plans to expand overdose prevention sites across the province. However, they will be monitoring and evaluating the current sites to help inform future plans.
The Department of Health and Wellness announced plans for the overdose prevention site in December 2021, when $500,000 was allocated to the Ally Centre and Direction 180 in Halifax over two years to help operate the service.
According to Ellliott, the site has two booths and will be open between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The program is free to clients.
NSHA could not say how much the two overdose prevention sites would save taxpayers in health care costs.
Peer Six OPS was funded as part of the province’s Opioid Use and Overdose Framework that aims to prevent opioid overdose deaths in Nova Scotia. The site will also include needle distribution and disposal, primary health care services, and street outreach nursing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.