- 注册
- 2002-10-07
- 消息
- 402,219
- 荣誉分数
- 76
- 声望点数
- 0
Ottawa Inner City Health and the Shepherds of Good Hope aren’t waiting for Health Canada’s approval before preparing a supervised injection site at what one executive calls the “ground zero” of Ottawa’s opioid crisis.
Deirdre Freiheit, president and CEO of the Shepherds, said staff are “barely making it by the skin of our teeth” trying to keep clients safe, constantly scouring the block around the King Edward Avenue shelter for anyone who has overdosed.
“Our staff is absolutely exhausted,” Freiheit said.
On Thursday, a trailer is scheduled to arrive at the Shepherds, and if the feds approve a proposal by Ottawa Inner City Health, it will become Ottawa’s first 24/7 supervised injection site.
A supervised injection site runs for 12 hours each day, starting at 9 a.m., at Ottawa Public Health’s Clarence Street building. The Sandy Hill Community Health Centre also has a federal exemption to run an injection site, but it’s still completing renovations at its Nelson Street building.
Volunteer group Overdose Prevention Ottawa has been operating an unsanctioned service for three hours each night in a tent at Raphael Brunet Park, just around the corner from the Shepherds.
Deirdre Freiheit, president and CEO of Shepherds of Good Hope, says the facility is “ground zero” of Ottawa’s opioid crisis.
Freiheit said there are still significant gaps in supervised injection services, even with two programs in operation.
“The majority of our clients aren’t walking the block to the pop-up tent for the care,” Freiheit said.
That also means they’re probably not walking to the health unit’s clinic on Clarence Street.
Freiheit said Shepherds clients want to stay close to the shelter to do their drugs, which is why a supervised injection site on the property is critical at a time when the deadly fentanyl and carfentanil are being passed off as heroin on Ottawa streets.
“We don’t want clients to be going off on their own and be in crisis and die somewhere,” Freiheit said. “We want them to be close to us.”
The supervised injection service at Shepherds would be run by Ottawa Inner City Health, which is already training staff in anticipation of receiving federal approval.
Ottawa Inner City Health filed an application last February to establish a supervised injection site at the Shepherds but recently put the application on hold to file a new proposal, which the organization hopes will lead to a faster approval. Health Canada received the new application Sept. 29.
“We’re good to go,” said Wendy Muckle, executive director of Ottawa Inner City Health. “It’s not like we have any choice. We’ve had a hellish summer.”
Muckle said Ottawa Inner City Health counted 75 overdose “reversals” in September 2017. In September 2016, there was one.
If the fit-up of the trailer goes according to schedule, it should be ready for clients by the end of the month, but it all depends on the federal approval. The organization also needs funding from the province.
“All we can really do is hope the feds and the province feel the same we do,” Muckle said.
Muckle lauded the health unit’s work to quickly get approval for its supervised injection site on Clarence Street, but she said Shepherds clients who are using drugs tend to stick around their “safe spot” at the shelter.
“It’s not a good fit for their culture and their needs,” Muckle said of the health unit’s site.
The other problem is the operating hours of the two supervised injection services. The health unit and the tent both wrap up operations each night at 9 p.m.
Freiheit said the real need is late at night and in the early hours.
“What we’re finding with our clients is the cluster of overdoses are happening between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m.,” Freiheit said, underscoring the need to have an around-the-clock injection site.
“It really is dire. We have to be able to provide these services,” Freiheit said.
“It’s not waning anytime soon.”
jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling
查看原文...
Deirdre Freiheit, president and CEO of the Shepherds, said staff are “barely making it by the skin of our teeth” trying to keep clients safe, constantly scouring the block around the King Edward Avenue shelter for anyone who has overdosed.
“Our staff is absolutely exhausted,” Freiheit said.
On Thursday, a trailer is scheduled to arrive at the Shepherds, and if the feds approve a proposal by Ottawa Inner City Health, it will become Ottawa’s first 24/7 supervised injection site.
A supervised injection site runs for 12 hours each day, starting at 9 a.m., at Ottawa Public Health’s Clarence Street building. The Sandy Hill Community Health Centre also has a federal exemption to run an injection site, but it’s still completing renovations at its Nelson Street building.
Volunteer group Overdose Prevention Ottawa has been operating an unsanctioned service for three hours each night in a tent at Raphael Brunet Park, just around the corner from the Shepherds.
Deirdre Freiheit, president and CEO of Shepherds of Good Hope, says the facility is “ground zero” of Ottawa’s opioid crisis.
Freiheit said there are still significant gaps in supervised injection services, even with two programs in operation.
“The majority of our clients aren’t walking the block to the pop-up tent for the care,” Freiheit said.
That also means they’re probably not walking to the health unit’s clinic on Clarence Street.
Freiheit said Shepherds clients want to stay close to the shelter to do their drugs, which is why a supervised injection site on the property is critical at a time when the deadly fentanyl and carfentanil are being passed off as heroin on Ottawa streets.
“We don’t want clients to be going off on their own and be in crisis and die somewhere,” Freiheit said. “We want them to be close to us.”
The supervised injection service at Shepherds would be run by Ottawa Inner City Health, which is already training staff in anticipation of receiving federal approval.
Ottawa Inner City Health filed an application last February to establish a supervised injection site at the Shepherds but recently put the application on hold to file a new proposal, which the organization hopes will lead to a faster approval. Health Canada received the new application Sept. 29.
“We’re good to go,” said Wendy Muckle, executive director of Ottawa Inner City Health. “It’s not like we have any choice. We’ve had a hellish summer.”
Muckle said Ottawa Inner City Health counted 75 overdose “reversals” in September 2017. In September 2016, there was one.
If the fit-up of the trailer goes according to schedule, it should be ready for clients by the end of the month, but it all depends on the federal approval. The organization also needs funding from the province.
“All we can really do is hope the feds and the province feel the same we do,” Muckle said.
Muckle lauded the health unit’s work to quickly get approval for its supervised injection site on Clarence Street, but she said Shepherds clients who are using drugs tend to stick around their “safe spot” at the shelter.
“It’s not a good fit for their culture and their needs,” Muckle said of the health unit’s site.
The other problem is the operating hours of the two supervised injection services. The health unit and the tent both wrap up operations each night at 9 p.m.
Freiheit said the real need is late at night and in the early hours.
“What we’re finding with our clients is the cluster of overdoses are happening between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m.,” Freiheit said, underscoring the need to have an around-the-clock injection site.
“It really is dire. We have to be able to provide these services,” Freiheit said.
“It’s not waning anytime soon.”
jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling
查看原文...
