The Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes Northumberland (HKLN) Drug Strategy has re-established to address the rising toxic drug supply and associated overdoses and deaths in the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
This partnership of over 35 organizations aims to create supportive environments, reduce substance use harms, and combat stigma.
Led by the HKLN Drug Strategy Steering Committee, current efforts include a community survey, fostering collaboration, and conducting a situational assessment.
“We are incredibly grateful to partners in harm reduction including the John Howard Society, the HKPR District Health Unit, PARN and Green Wood Coalition, who lead the recruitment of survey participants and implementation of the survey through Peer Support Workers,” said Dane Record, Chair of the HKLN Drug Strategy. “It is critically important, now more than ever, that we continue to engage in ongoing dialogue between decision-makers and people with lived experiences related to the complex issues surrounding drug poisoning to better understand and plan harm reduction supports.”
The group prioritizes addressing the drug poisoning crisis, organizing community events, and advocating for policy solutions.
“We are all impacted by the increase in drug poisonings in our communities. Knowing the signs of a drug poisoning and how to help can save lives.” said Kate Hall, Co-chair of the HKLN Drug Strategy Steering Committee. “Members of the public can sign up to receive drug poisoning alerts and can also use the online submission form to anonymously report overdoses and drug-related information to assist in a more effective response to these incidents.”
Additionally, the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit provides a weekly Opioid Overdose Report for the region.
For More Information
• Visit the HKLN Drug Strategy website to learn more about current harm reduction efforts. (HKLN Drug Strategy | Serving Haliburton County, the City of Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland County)
• Read the Drug Strategy Network of Ontario’s Solutions to End the Drug Poisoning Crisis in Ontario:
Choosing a New Direction to be informed of harm reduction policy. (MDSCNO_Policy_Solutions_2022-04-22 (drugstrategy.org))
• View the weekly Opioid Overdose Report produced by the HKPR District Health Unit. (Opioid Overdose Report | HKPR District Health Unit)
(Written by: Joseph Goden)
