Call Home program gives mobile drug RV a tech upgrade

Interior Health’s mobile RV overdose prevention unit is getting a unique tech boost with a lot of heart courtesy of Okanagan College’s Enactus team and its newest community initiative, Call Home.

Recognizing a need for better access to communication for some of the community’s most vulnerable people, the College’s Enactus team purchased and installed two iPads in Interior Health’s mobile unit. Access to the iPads will be free and is open to all visitors as a resource to connect with their loved ones. The devices were installed on Aug. 21 and are currently in use.

“Call Home is a project that serves to provide the people who are using this mobile unit with a positive opportunity to reach out to a family member or loved one that they may have not been in contact with for several years,” says Zabrina Semchuk, Enactus Project Manager and Okanagan College student.

Interior Health launched the mobile unit in late April as a response to the opioid crisis. In July, approval was received from Health Canada to operate the unit as a supervised consumption site, making it among the first in Canada.

Last month alone, more than 1,000 visitors were logged.

“Call Home is an important addition to the mobile unit because it is often difficult for homeless or marginalized individuals to keep connected,” says Corinne Dolman, Mobile Supervised Consumption Services Manager for IH.

“It can be extremely valuable for them to contact their loved ones and to be reminded that there are people that care about them.”

Enactus Okanagan College is a non-profit student run organization that develops and implements projects in the Okanagan region that improve the quality of life and standard of living across the valley.

“It’s fabulous seeing students developing programs that can have such a tremendous impact on all members of our community,” says Devin Rubadeau, Okanagan College Professor and Enactus Faculty Advisor. “This project impacts families everywhere by giving people in our community an opportunity to connect with loved ones.”

Currently, the RV stops in downtown Kelowna at 455 Leon Ave. from 1 - 5 p.m. and at 125 Park Road in Rutland from 6 - 11:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.