May 25, 2021 By Nate Smelle A growing team of community partners and harm reduction advocates gathered online on May 11 to discuss their plan to bring a safe consumption site to North Hastings. With the the local death toll from the opioid epidemic climbing sharply during the pandemic the community’s need for a safe space for people who use substances has never been greater. As a physician with the Bancroft Community Family Health Team, and the clinical lead of the opiate management group, Dr. Ashley White is one of the local health-care professionals spearheading the Safe Use Hastings campaign. Having worked in addiction services for more than 15 years across Canada and around the world, she has experienced firsthand how this public health crisis has worsened in North Hastings amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.