Ankors’s fellow health navigator and drug control technician James Kaufman advocates inclusion, compassion, stigma and diversity as part of the local branch’s mission statement to protect the well-being of its Cranbrook customer base. “We work on a model of well-being through advocacy and advocacy, harm reduction, prevention and training, customer-centric programs and services, and partnerships with our community network,” he told their order. Kaufman is part of a team dedicated to helping people living with HIV / AIDS, hepatitis C and other blood-borne pathogens that lead to infectious diseases, while promoting health and safety by providing resources, referrals and amenities for the customers. The harm reduction model that is an integral part of Ankors services provides people with a safe place to control drug supply and discard tools, especially drug needles, with an accessible needle disposal bin conveniently located outside the their location in the city center. “It creates a safe and anonymous choice for people – a lot of people die from fentanyl-bound products, so if we can check to make sure the supply is clean, we can save lives,” he said. Fentanyl is resistant to Naxolone, which means that many deaths occur around its use. According to Kaufman, people die if they can not be treated quickly enough. He is someone who speaks from experienced experience, placing him in the help category of peer health navigator. “People will confide in someone who has been through it, much more than in a clinical setting – it is easier to help someone or reach out to that person when you can relate to what they are going through,” he said. James Kaufman Kaufman recently graduated from Rockies College with a degree in Human Services Worker and is very proud of his work in the community. In the diverse Ankors clientele, there is no specific profile. “A large percentage of the people who visit are homeless, but we serve everyone and we see people from all walks of life,” he said. According to Kaufman, there is a significant homeless population locally, and with it, a number of new issues, including increased crime in the city. “It’s often a survival crime – many of the thefts that have taken place are drug-related, owed money or needed to survive.” There is a lack of affordable housing, planning, financing and space for people currently on the road. As a result, treatment and treatment for mental health and addiction are not always forthcoming. People are often left behind on the streets without a decision or have nowhere to go, and the cycle repeats itself, exhausting current resources. The need outweighs the support available that leads to visible inequality in the community, including increased theft and emerging homeless camps, to the detriment of residents and business owners, Kaufman said. “Many of the people we see are not in a place where they can work – it is about reducing the damage at this point and doing what we can to help them manage their circumstances.” Kaufman boasts that he loves his profession on an ordinary day. “We get people who are scared and have nowhere to go, but just by being here, we help them understand that they are not alone – and when someone leaves and feels a little better, that’s all, it’s good to be here because we are “We are all vulnerable, each of us,” he said. To read more about Ankors visit: About ANKORS – ANKORS Main image: James Kaufman, health navigator and drug control technician at Ankors in downtown Cranbrook. Photos by Erin Knutson e-KNOW
