London's temporary overdose prevention site reports 'very successful' first week
The facility saw 69 people take drugs under medical supervision, as drug users 'slowly opt in'
Organizers of London's first temporary overdose prevention site, the first of its kind in southwestern Ontario, are calling their first week of operations a success.
"I am pleased to report that it was a very successful week," said Brian Lester, the regional director of London's HIV/AIDS Connection, noting the program served 69 people in its first five days of operation.
"There was hesitation early in the week," Lester said. "We're talking about a population that's generally not trusting of professional healthcare. They're slowly opting in."
The facility includes a waiting area, where patients receive triage services, a room where drug users can consume substances under medical supervision and an aftercare room.
The site, which opened February 12 at 186 King Street, the same space as the city's existing needle exchange program, is a response by health authorities to the deadly opioid crisis that's swept across the country.
Big city drug problem
Last year, London had the third highest rate of opioid overdoses in Canada, handed out free needles at a rate second only to Vancouver and is the only city in Ontario where new cases of blood borne illnesses — such as HIV — are on the rise, thanks to drug users sharing dirty needles.
Health authorities announced the location of the site on January 19, along with the fact that healthcare workers would use "love and respect" in dealing with the city's drug users.
Along with a full-time nurse and harm reduction support workers, the facility includes a host of other services, including mental health, housing and addiction counselling.
"One of the things we wanted to create in within our community, within this program was ensuring that we're not just providing support for the experience of injection to make sure people are safe and not overdosing," Lester said. "We also want to connect people to other aspects of wellness."