THUNDER BAY - Guy Felicella, who has experienced addiction, homelessness, and crime firsthand, said harm reduction services in Vancouver kept him alive.
“I wouldn't be alive today without harm reduction, and I wouldn't have the life that I have today without recovery. We need both,” Felicella said.
Felicella, now an advocate for harm reduction services, was the keynote speaker at the 2024 Forward Together Harm Reduction Conference held this week in Thunder Bay.
Hosted by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit and supported by the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy, the conference was attended by more than 200 participants and included panel discussions and interactive sessions with front-line workers in harm reduction.
“It’s important to humanize harm reduction,” said Rilee Willianen, Thunder Bay Drug Strategy specialist. “Guy’s story helps promote greater understanding and compassion while underscoring that harm reduction is evidence-based and it saves lives.”
Harm reduction is one of several pillars in addressing addiction and substance use problems in the city.
The Thunder Bay Drug Strategy continues to advocate for prevention, enforcement, harm reduction services, treatment options, mental health supports, and supportive housing.
In the wake of an increasingly toxic illicit drug supply in the city, harm reduction services can help prevent overdose deaths, lower the spread of infectious diseases, lessen the strain on emergency services, and introduce individuals to recovery options.
Harm reduction services available in the city of Thunder Bay include providing safe drug equipment like needle exchanges and pipes, naloxone kits, drug checking services at NorWest Community Health Centre, the Lifeguardconnect App, the Rapid Access to Addiction Medicine Clinics, outreach services, and withdrawal management services.
Path 525 at the NorWest Community Health Centre also provides safe consumption services, but the province announced this summer that the site will be closing in March 2025.
