By Justine Kelsie

Busy year ahead for HIV North

Dec 30, 2017 | 5:00 AM

HIV North Society has multiple projects in the works for 2018.
 
First on the agenda is the supervised consumption services site. Executive Director Melissa Byers said the next step to having it in place by April is sending off the federal exemption by January 15th, 2018.
 
The organization has also received a few housing contracts in hopes of setting up a 24-hour permanent supportive housing unit.
 
“What we are kind of hoping that will come forward in the 2018 year is an apartment building or hotel complex. Individuals are housed and receive 24-hour support,” explains Byers. “It would be potentially nurse support. It’s going to limit traffic coming in and out. It potentially reduces a lot of the barriers that people experience in market housing.”
 
The society is also looking at expanding their education program.
 
“We have had quite a few businesses ask us to come in and provide naloxone education as well as fentanyl information. This a really great time for us to go in and provide anti-stigma education and talk to people about how to support people who are using drugs. We have had quite a few companies contact us. We have had oilfield companies and take us out to their site to provide naloxone training to their upper-management staff.”

Byers says more people are becoming more receptive to information and moving forward with the drug crisis. 
 
With files from Glory Przekop