More than $660,000 in federal government funding will support an Indigenous harm reduction program in Kelowna.
The city has received $662,433 through Health Canada香蕉视频直播檚 Substance Use and Addictions Program(SUAP).
It will support a new program that seeks to grow cultural safety within harm reduction services and reduce the stigma and racism faced by Indigenous peoples and other marginalized communities.
READ MORE: Advocates say the federal government can do more to address opioid use stigma
香蕉视频直播淭he ongoing effects of colonialism are intricately linked to the disproportionate impact that overdose and other substance use harms have on Indigenous Peoples,香蕉视频直播� said Carolyn Bennett, minister of mental health and addictions.
In 2021, 7,560 Canadians died from opioid overdose-related causes. B.C. First Nations people are dying due to toxic drugs at a rate more than five times that of non-First Nations people.
香蕉视频直播淲e are in the midst of challenging times,香蕉视频直播� said Mayor Tom Dyas. 香蕉视频直播淲e see it here in Kelowna and across Canada. Action is needed on this issue, so I香蕉视频直播檓 happy to see federal funding for the Indigenous-led Knknxt蓹wix虒 program coming to Kelowna.香蕉视频直播�
Knknxt蓹wix虒 will create an Indigenous Harm Reduction Team (IHRT), made up of a nurse, a social worker and two Indigenous Peer Navigators. The IHRT will deliver harm reduction services, supplies, and cultural support to people who use illicit substances. Knknxt蓹wix虒 will also pilot a decolonizing substance use day program, with local Indigenous Elders, Peers, and specialists contributing to its Indigenous-informed substance use recovery curriculum.
香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檝e worked with the City in the past on a similar Peer Navigator project and found a lot of success,香蕉视频直播� said Wes Zawertailo, program manager with the PEOPLE Lived Experience Society. 香蕉视频直播淥ur main goal is to find employment opportunities for people with lived experiences, so this program is a perfect fit for us.香蕉视频直播�
For more information about the city香蕉视频直播檚 social wellness initiatives, visit the .
gary.barnes@kelownacapnews.com
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