With an alarming increase in drug overdoses and poisonings, especially in downtown Belleville recently, the Downtown Belleville Business Improvement Area’s Welcoming Streets program and Hastings Prince Edward Public Health are taking action.
The organizations are joining forces to equip more downtown business owners with essential life-saving skills and medication.
Sara Behring, Welcoming Streets Program Coordinator says this training can empower businesses to act swiftly and effectively in emergency situations.
Twelve businesses in the Downtown District are currently trained in the administration of life-saving medication and carry naloxone on site.
This week there will be a refresher for existing businesses and training for businesses new to the program.
“We firmly believe that everyone has a role to play in addressing the opioid crisis,” stated Danielle Hanoman, Executive Director of the DBIA. “By collaborating with local businesses, HPEPH, and Welcoming Streets, we are expanding our reach to ensure that more individuals have the knowledge and skills to respond effectively to overdose emergencies, enhancing public safety and well-being.”
If a drug poisoning (overdose) is witnessed, businesses are encouraged to complete an anonymous report to HPEPH through their overdose reporting form via the following link, https://www.hpepublichealth.ca/report-an-overdose/.
For more information on Welcoming Streets or harm reduction and safer drug use, please email Sara Behring, Welcoming Streets Program Coordinator at welcome@downtownbelleville.ca or visit https://www.hpepublichealth.ca/harm-reduction.
