Abbotsford/surrey – – People in the Abbotsford community who use substances will soon have access to a mobile overdose prevention site at 32900 Marshall Road, on the grounds of Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre.
The Abbotsford Mobile Overdose Prevention Site, currently located at 1670 Riverside Road, will relocate to the hospital campus on Wednesday, April 22nd to improve accessibility and better connect people with this important service. Lookout Housing and Health Society will continue to be contracted by Fraser Health to operate the overdose prevention site.
At its new location, the mobile overdose prevention site will continue to operate seven days a week, from 12:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., providing a safe, judgement-free space where people can consume substances witnessed by trained staff who care about their well-being. Staff can respond immediately in the event of a toxic drug poisoning and can also connect people with appropriate health and social supports. This service will also help prevent public substance use and exposure in other areas of the hospital and the local community.
“Access to overdose prevention services is vital for people who use substances,” says Dr. Rahul Walia, medical health officer. “We know that this service is an effective way to help people stay safer when using, prevent overdose deaths and provide a direct link to primary care and mental health and substance use supports. Moving the mobile unit to a more central location at Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre ensures we can provide this valuable service to those who need it most.”
Any person who uses the unregulated drug supply can access the service, including individuals in the community, people seeking care at the hospital and people who are already admitted patients at the hospital.
The new location on the hospital campus is in a central area that offers increased access to the service for community members and closer proximity to emergency services. The mobile overdose prevention site will relocate after closing on April 21st and resume regular operations the following day without interruption.
In addition to witnessed consumption, the Abbotsford Mobile Overdose Prevention Site will continue to provide:
- Referrals to health and social services including mental health and substance use supports
- Harm reduction services, including the distribution of Take Home Naloxone kits and how to use them
- Safe sharps disposal
- Drug checking, including fentanyl test strips that can detect its presence in different kinds of drugs
The site will continue to be staffed by Lookout Housing and Health Society and will operate with two harm reduction workers, one peer support worker and a coordinator.
In 2025, there were 3,422 visits to the Abbotsford Mobile Overdose Prevention Site, which included the distribution of 976 Take Home Naloxone kits and 252 referrals to Fraser Health mental health and substance use services, sexually transmitted blood borne infections treatment, and health and social services.
