Local supervised injection sites in limbo, awaiting provincial funding
Posted Mar 11, 2019 08:59:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The opioid crisis is only getting worse, and now there is some worry that supervised injection sites will lose their funding.
The money will dry up as of March 31, unless the provicial government makes good on their plan to support 21 safe injection sites across Ontario.
Wendy Muckle, Executive Director at Ottawa Inner City Health, explained to 1310 NEWS that there is a strong need to keep these sites going.
“The way that the opioid crisis is rolling out in Ottawa, and right across North America, there is a need for these kinds of sites to become a permanent part of the healthcare system.”
The Ottawa Inner City Health safe injection site is located in a trailer behind the Shepherds of Good Hope shelter on Murray Street in the ByWard Market. They see, on average, between 120 and 150 visitors each day at their site.
Muckle said the need for space is so great that they had to get a larger trailer, going from eight injection bays to 13 back in December.
Shed stressed that these sites are not just a safe place for drug users to inject but that the staff help in other ways.
“Every single day, on average, one person has started substance use treatment.”
She explained that many of the people who work at the site, were once users themselves, but have since gotten treatment.
But, their site along with the three others here in Ottawa, remain in limbo as they await that funding announcement.
“We've had a committment from the Minister of Health that there won't be a disruption in service, but here we are, it's the middle of March and our funding runs out on March 31,” added Muckle.
She explained that since the Doug Ford-led government took over, it's become more difficult to get answers and responses to questions, and when they do hear something, usually they get little to no notice.
Right now, Muckle noted, local supervised injection sites just have to play the waiting game.
