Existing local community action teams (CATs) are receiving additional support to respond to the overdose crisis.
The province is investing $2.5 million to support CATs. These teams provide support and services to people who use drugs and reduce the risk of illicit drug toxicity deaths in communities hit hardest by the overdose crisis.
“By investing in CATs, we are supporting overdose prevention and partnering with people with lived and living experience at the local level,” says Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “I’m grateful for the knowledge and experience of CAT team members, whose dedication is making a difference every day by saving lives.”
The CATs include community partners such as First Nations communities, municipalities, front-line community agencies and people and families with lived experience. By providing on-the-ground responses tailored to local community needs, teams act to address the drug poisoning crisis at the local level.
There will be 36 CAT’s in BC by fall of 2021, and there are currently teams in Quesnel and Williams Lake.