Fort St. John’s mobile OPS clinic back up and running

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — After Northern Health’s overdose prevention services van was destroyed in a fire, the health authority has acquired an alternate vehicle and a tent to keep services running.

Eryn Collins with Northern Health says they have adjusted location and timing but are still providing safe inhalation and safe injection services, as well as harm reduction and education services.

Beginning Wednesday and continuing until further notice, the OPS team will be set up at the Alliance Church location from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each weekday instead of alternating locations.

Based on security camera footage from the Moose FM building located on 101st Avenue, the fire began Sunday night at approximately 9 p.m. Also on camera, a person is seen approaching the vehicle, then walking away before the van fire began.

Earlier this year, the van was provided by a partnership between Northern Health and the First Nations Health Authority to provide mobile overdose prevention services.

The van provided services six hours a day, five days a week, in two different locations until this incident.

In the northeast, there have been 15 illicit drug overdoses in 2022, according to the most recent B.C. Coroners Service report.

Energeticcity.ca reached out to the RCMP for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.