The Peace Regional Victim Services Society has received a $45-thousand grant from the government in support of their opioid awareness campaign. The project, called the Eye of the Storm campaign, is dedicated to raising public awareness about the opioid crisis and sharing the local support services that can be found in the Peace region. The program will bring their work to schools, law enforcement, corrections and indigenous communities. The program will offer presentations from an Edmonton doctor and renowned speaker on the opioid crisis, Dr. Charl Els. The program will extend its reach to communities throughout the Peace Region.
Health minister Sarah Hoffman and MLA Debbie Jabbour visited the Peace River RCMP detachment to learn more about the campaign and have a discussion about tackling the opioid crisis. Hoffman and Brian Turpin of the Peace Regional Victim Services Society say that one of the things that makes this project unique, is the varying levels of expertise that will be involved in making a difference. The program includes those with lived experience who help in guiding the campaign’s conversations about how to move away from the negative stigmas attached to opioid addiction. Turpin says ” when we think about opioid abuse… that’s not your homeless people out on the street, that’s average people, your average farmer that’s gone down a road they didn’t intend to go down.” Creating an understanding that opioid addiction knows no age is also a message they are eager to spread.
Hoffman says that the government’s goal is to reduce the harm that opioids have caused, move away from the negative stigmas surrounding opioid addiction and finding ways to spread awareness about prevention. Sarah Hoffman encourages people about the importance of asking for help, saying ” for somebody who’s asked for help but maybe didn’t have the right counsellor, keep asking, keep searching, because there is somebody out there who’s going to be the right fit for you.”
Hoffman encourages people to call 811 to learn about what resources are available in the Peace Region.
– LG
