Here's an inside look at London's new permanent supervised drug treatment site
Carepoint Consumption and Treatment Service's new site will open its doors on Feb. 28
London's first permanent supervised drug-use site has officially moved into its location at 446 York Street and will open next week.
Carepoint Consumption and Treatment Service's facility has amenities that include an intake room, medical clinic, on-site staff to support and respond to emergencies, sterile supplies for safer drug use, and harm reduction information.
"We believe wholeheartedly that people are the experts in their own lives. It's not ours to fix or tell, it's ours to listen and offer what we have and ensure they have the information they need to make decisions in their life," said Sonja Burke, director of Regional HIV/AIDS Connection (RHAC).
The program run by RHAC operated at 186 King Street from 2018 until July of last year, when it moved to a trailer located in front of its York Street site while awaiting construction to finish.
"Just having a supervised consumption facility or needle syringe program is not enough. The wrap-around services and the clinic, all those pieces are critical to full health care," Burke said.
Burke adds that a larger space allows the site to offer Londoners more resources, such as:
- Rapid access to addictions medicines
- Indigenous medicines and teachings from elders
- Community workshops
- A consumption and after-care room
Carepoint's community partners include the London InterCommunity Health Center, Middlesex London Health Unit, Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley, and individuals with lived experiences.
"It's going to give people the care they need and access to community supports through a number of partnerships in one space. It's a model for others to follow," said Mayor Josh Morgan.
"This is a respectful place where people can have the dignity to get the health care services they need and access other services that help them in other areas of life as well," he said.
A whole community approach
Morgan says the facility perfectly integrates with the work of the health and homelessness summit, in which more than 70 agencies have come together to tackle London's homelessness crisis. On Tuesday, they announced 15 mini shelters to be set up across the city.
"With the summit, it's all coming together," Burke said. "We, as a community, are leading the way to shift not only harm reduction, but everything we do is going to be in that foundation."
Burke adds that her team continues working with community members on their concerns of littering and loitering right away, with two different teams that focus on cleanup and syringe recovery from high-risk areas.
She hopes that creating more public awareness can allow people to shift their perspectives and help de-stigmatize addictions and supervised drug use, Burke said.
"There's an entire shift in our education system. With medical professionals doing placements in our facilities, we're shifting our entire system through exposure and action," she said.
"What people get caught up with is that people make choices, but they're making decisions based on the information they have, whether that's trauma, incarceration, or toxic drug supply, and when you shift that narrative, then you start to truly connect with people."
The site opens on Feb 28.
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