Grand Forks City Council received a presentation yesterday from two Nursing Students at Castlegar’s Selkirk College through the University of Victoria. Selkirk’s fourth year Nursing Students do community based leadership-role projects, and this year a Resource Navigation Tool for an Outreach Program in Grand Forks was created. The tool features a map with services primarily for mental health and substance use clients.

Student Gwendilyn Grieves explains the program. “The long term goal of our leadership project was to assess the need and establish the foundation for a Street Outreach Program in the Grand Forks area. Street Outreach Nurses carry backpacks filled with harm reduction supplies, hygiene supplies, socks, vitamins and more, to distribute to in-need people throughout the community.”

Ty Wright says equipment is donated. “We went to businesses who offered us supplies…. and any supplies that we could get we would take them and try to put them to some use. Our harm reduction supplies, so the naloxone kits and all of the safe substance kits, those are all supplied by ANKORS and ANKORS supplies the entire Kootenays.”

There are pre-existing Outreach Programs in Trail in Nelson, and Trail’s is student led and volunteer based. Mayor Taylor says the package features services The City has wanted to offer. Council approved their request for a letter of support, but are waiting to write the letter until further information is received from the community, and once they’re more certain about who to address the letter to.