Controversial safer supply clinic closing its doors next week

A divisive Ottawa safer supply clinic that prescribed opioids to fentanyl users but drew criticism while operating in two locations in less than a year will close its doors next week. 

Northwood Recovery prescribed Dilaudid and other medication to people struggling with drug addiction. It opened first in Hintonburg last September before moving to a new location in Chinatown in March. 

While patients who spoke to CBC generally supported the clinic, the company was criticized by others for its reliance on virtual care, for not offering a supervised injection site or wraparound supports, and for what neighbours said was an upsurge in open drug use. 

On May 30, Dr. Suman Koka, the doctor running Northwood Recovery and a network of sister clinics across Ontario, emailed Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster to confirm Northwood is closing its clinical practice in Ottawa on June 9. Troster shared the email with CBC. 

"We have informed the pharmacies," Koka wrote in the email. "We are taking direction from the patients as to which physician they wish their care to be transferred."

Koka did not respond by deadline to a request for comment. 

Troster told CBC that while she supports safe supply and more resources are definitely needed, she had concerns about how Northwood Recovery was operating out of its clinic on Somerset Street W.

"The issue is the skeleton staff and no doctor on site," Troster said via email. "And the fact that this compounded the problems associated with the forced closure of the supervised consumption site and safe supply program at the Somerset West Community Health Centre."

People were getting prescriptions for Dilaudid when they were addicted to fentanyl because that's the strongest drug that doctors can prescribe according to the formulary in Ontario, Troster said.

"[But] because it takes six or eight doses a day in order to stave off addiction to fentanyl, it means it was inevitable that people had to carry large quantities of drugs with them, which led to diversion or people reselling the drugs and a lot of the chaos that goes along with that," Troster continued.  

"People were being robbed of their drugs and it was a really unsustainable solution."

Northwood Recovery's departure will likely bring relief to the community, "but it's definitely not a solution," Troster added.

Ottawa Morning8:08Chinatown’s Northwood Recovery officially shutting its doors

A divisive Ottawa safer supply clinic that prescribed opioids to fentanyl users will close its doors next week. Somerset Councillor Ariel Troster shares what the closure of Northwood Recovery means for Ottawa’s Chinatown neighbourhood, and her concerns over the clinic’s presence.