"NEEDLE VAN"

The Wellness van--blessing or detriment? This black van runs from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m Wednesday through Sunday, seeking locations where drug addicts are frequently located, distributing needles to users and providing health care services to those who may otherwise not seek such medical help. Why, you may ask? Health experts are taking note of the spread of blood-borne infections, such as AIDS/HIV, among drug users. They worry that these infections will in time "inevitably jump into other social groups, spreading quickly before they are detected," if something is not done. So the Wellness van was introduced, and between that and the fixed storefront site downtown, harm reduction services are being offered 7 days a week. The evaluation report for this van has been finalized and will be released in the following weeks. I suppose it is yet to see how this will affect Prince George in the long-term...hopefully, it WILL be a blessing to our city.