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ASK WELLNESS

ASK Wellness Kamloops AGM focusing on addiction recovery and treatment

Sep 18, 2019 | 4:56 PM

KAMLOOPS — ASK Wellness Kamloops will host its annual general meeting and public forum this evening, with a heavy focus on addiction recovery.

While the provincial opioid crisis is ongoing, and harm reduction methods are in full force, ASK Wellness Executive Director Bob Hughes says treatment methods need to be explored.

“I think it’s high time that (treatment and recovery) becomes a really important part of this conversation around addictions. It’s how are we getting people healthy and well, what are the tools we have to make a difference?” he says. “Harm reduction is really important, and I’m 100 per cent committed to it, but I also think the conversation needs to include options for treatment and recovery.”

Each year, ASK Wellness brings in speakers, and this year addictions specialist Dr. Julius Elefante and iOAT (Injectable Opioid Agonist Treatment) nurse practitioner Sarah Foster will be addressing the crowd.

Tonight, Hughes says the goal is also to educate those in the community who don’t have a well-rounded understanding of addiction struggles.

“People’s compassion and patience is wearing thin in communities as it relates to homelessness and addictions,” Hughes stresses, “Frankly, some of the language that people use around human beings that are struggling with addictions, even if they are problematic and wreaking havoc, is something that I think we should take a sober look at, and say, is this how we want to treat human beings, period?”

The AGM will be held between 5:00 p.m and 9:00 p.m from the Henry Grube Education Centre.