On Jan. 26, the president of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) Dr. Claudette Holloway will be in town to advocate against the pending closure of The Spot, Sudbury’s supervised consumption site.
The RNAO is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students in Ontario. Halloway and a group of registered nurses are set to meet with leaders from public health in Sudbury.
Due to lack of funding, the supervised consumption site — also known as Minoogawbi, La Place, and The Spot — will close Feb. 29 despite being what the RNAO refers to as a ”life-saving resource for people who use substances.”
RNAO and its members are calling on the provincial government to recognize “the urgent need” to keep The Spot’s doors open for people to access harm reduction supplies, supervised consumption services, supportive counselling and more.
“Sudbury continues to have one of the highest death rates and harms associated with drug toxicity when compared to other jurisdictions in the province,” reads the release from the RNAO. “The Spot is a critical service within the Sudbury community, yet it hasn’t received approval from the provincial government for continued funding.”
Michael Roach, president of RNAO’s Sudbury and District Chapter, said, “safe consumption sites like The Spot are an essential resource and safe space for individuals who use drugs. If The Spot closes, we will be losing a vital and critical service within our community.”
Holloway will be in Sudbury for a full day of meetings with members of the association’s Sudbury and District Chapter as well as health organizations.
There will be a media availability at Public Health Sudbury and Districts on Jan. 26 at 2:45 p.m. Sudbury.com will be on hand to cover the event.
