The Réseau ACCESS Network Wellness Navigation Program is the recipient of new funds to help Greater Sudbury battle the opioid epidemic that has left the city with the second-highest number of opioid-related deaths in the province.
Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe announced Nov. 28 that the $514,282 in funding will mean an increase in access to services for people who use drugs while reducing stigma through connecting with new and existing programs.
Peers will be trained as community workers and work alongside staff to create culturally-safe and stigma-free spaces for community members, which will help remove barriers to accessing care. The project is the result of community consultations, focus groups and surveys.
“People may use substances for different reasons, but no one chooses to develop an addiction. By supporting initiatives like Réseau ACCESS Network Wellness Navigation Program, we can help our community receive the health services and support they need to improve their health and overall quality of life,” said Lapointe in a release.
“We recognize that more needs to be done to support people who use substances. I will continue to work with all levels of government, partners, Indigenous communities, stakeholders, people with lived and living experience of addiction, and organizations in our community to help reduce substance use harms.”
Heidi Eisenhauer, executive director of Réseau ACCESS Network stated in the release that the funds would be used to increase street response to the overdose and drug poisoning crisis that has gripped the city in the past years. “Peers will increase awareness and learn ways to keep themselves and others safer as a response to using an unregulated drug supply, increasing their knowledge about harm reduction, HIV and Hepatitis C testing and treatment, and strategies for navigating the healthcare system is essential to the community’s well-being and to prevent unnecessary deaths.”
Regionally the funds will bring the northern AIDS Service Organizations together to shape a combined response to the increasing issues facing northern communities. The program will also create space for workers and peers to participate in knowledge exchange with Indigenous elders in an effort to increase culturally safe access to care.
The scope of the project will allow a multi-tiered approach to respond to the increase in overdoses and new HIV/HCV cases for the city and the region.
“We congratulate Réseau ACCESS Network upon receiving funds for their Wellness Navigation Program. Réseau is doing great work in our community to reduce the harms associated with substance use and empower people who use substances to have control over their health and well-being,” said Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Medical Officer of Health for Public Health Sudbury & Districts. “In Northern Ontario we experience greater harms from the toxic drug crisis than in other parts of Ontario with Sudbury and Manitoulin districts having the second highest rate for drug-related deaths in the province. This funding is one piece of the puzzle required to address a complex issue. We look forward to continuing our work with partners on upstream approaches that create supportive environments for childhood development, foster resilience, and address stigma, all of which provide positive conditions for people to lead healthier lives.”
