The Northwest Working Group is moving forward to develop critically needed, culturally safe addiction supports in Terrace and the surrounding Northwestern region.
Terrace has one of the highest rates of deaths in the province due to the toxic-drug crisis, with 98.7 deaths per 100,000 in 2023. Indigenous people are almost six times more likely to die from illicit drug poisoning.
The Northwest Working Group, comprised of representatives from the Northern First Nations Alliance, Northern Health Authority, First Nations Health Authority and the Province, aims to address this disproportionate impact by implementing more culturally appropriate resources to better serve people living with addiction in the North.
The working group will identify approaches that will ensure withdrawal-management services and treatment-and-recovery services for the region are culturally appropriate and meet the needs of First Nations and people living in the Northwest.
Read the full BC Gov News article "Northern communities work to improve culturally appropriate addiction supports".