MANITOULIN—It is still unclear as to how the Sudbury and District Health Unit’s (SDHU) harm reduction supplies and services programming will roll out on Manitoulin, but members of the Manitoulin Harm Reduction Committee have realized a need when it comes to safe needle use on the Island.
Jeanette Cyr, a public health nurse specializing in sexual health with the SDHU, explained that the harm reduction supplies and services programming is just in the preliminary phase and will be different for each community, based on that community’s needs. “It needs to fit the needs of the clients,” she said.
Ms. Cyr explained that harm reduction supply kits contain ‘cookers,’ distilled water, needles, sharps bins, alcohol wipes, tourniquets, as well as inhalation kits (the tools needed to make crack pipes). In Sudbury, users can also return their used needles in the sharps bin provided to them. This service will likely also come to Manitoulin.
“It also provides a point of entry to the health care system for referrals, counselling, testing and education on how to inject safely to prevent abscesses, infection and disease,” Ms. Cyr added. “That’s the goal.”
She said the health unit has seen an increase in the distribution of these kits with the district offices requesting these same services.
“We are in the preliminary stages of discussion,” Ms. Cyr reiterated. “We will meet with the different communities one on one.”
Christine Blake, team leader of the Manitoulin Mental Health and Addictions Clinic and chair of the Manitoulin Harm Reduction Committee, said her group last met the day of the SDHU announcement. When asked how this might look for Manitoulin, Ms. Blake responded, “We don’t know, is the short answer.”
“Manitoulin does have, and has had for a year or so, a harm reduction committee—a sub-committee of the Manitoulin Addiction and Mental Health table,” Ms. Blake explained.
She said it is difficult to know how these services and programs would look as they have no statistics on needle use on Manitoulin. There are, she noted, three community needle drop-off boxes in M’Chigeeng for users to discard their used needles.
“We have some information that there are needles coming from Sudbury (Sudbury Youth Action Centre’s The Point), but that they’re not necessarily bringing them back,” she said.
“We are working on a drug strategy for Manitoulin and provincially, the health units are trying to do the same thing,” Ms. Blake added.
With Manitoulin comes the added challenges of distance and transportation, she noted.
“We’ll wait to hear from the SDHU, but as of now, there’s no clear timeframe,” Ms. Blake concluded.
