Work is ongoing to plan and apply for a permanent safe injection site in Timmins.
In an update today, the Timmins and Area Drug Strategy reports that it has finished gathering data from the community for a supervised consumption services (SCS) in the city.
In June, Health Canada approved Safe Health Site Timmins (SHST), which is an Urgent Public Health Needs site. Located on Cedar Street North across from city hall, it officially opened its doors on July 4. It's a space for people to use previously obtained drugs by injection, orally or snorting under the supervision of trained medical staff. People can also stop in to use the bathroom or to connect with other services.
SHST is an urgent public health needs site (UPHNS) and is a temporary solution to bridge the gap while work continues to secure a permanent supervised consumption site.
RELATED: Safe injection site could mean fewer needles downtown, 911 calls
For the permanent site, TADS and Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) medical students completed three waves of studies. Of the overall 529 respondents in the general public survey completed in May, the Porcupine Health Unit reports that 59 per cent "see benefit in having an overdose prevention site in Timmins."
In a separate consultation with people who use drugs, 74 per cent of the 102 people said they would use the site.
“We are so appreciative to those who participated and shared their experiences, knowledge, and opinions on SCS,” said Dr. Julie Samson, Timmins and District Hospital Addiction Services co-lead. “This input will be invaluable as we move forward.”
The surveys were completed from November 2021 to August 2022. Once the survey results are compiled, the results will be shared on the Porcupine Health Unit website.
While the permanent site is provincially funded, the temporary operation does not.
Last year, the City of Timmins committed over $1 million for the UPHNS.
Right now, Timmins and District Hospital is operating Safe Health Site Timmins.
The proposed permanent site will be operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association Cochrane-Timiskaming branch.
Related: Safe injection site location chosen for number of reasons
See: $2.3M will add 15 new addictions treatment beds in Timmins
Paul Jalbert, CMHA-CT executive director, said the site aligns well with the organization's current services.
“Addictions and mental health services are critical in addressing the current needs that exist in our community. Much too often, we see lives being lost to overdoses. We see the incredible suffering in our communities; we see it in those who are struggling with substance abuse, and we see it in the eyes of the family members who must live with the loss of a loved one. We must ensure that both treatment and harm reduction options are available to those who need it and the science tells us unequivocally that this type of approach will save lives. That is why we are doing this,” said Jalbert in the news release.
TADH Addictions and Outpatient Mental Health manager Patrick Nowak said the community needs a longer term, more sustainable solution for the opioid crises.
“Safe Health Site Timmins was set up as a temporary measure, while we worked on our application process for a provincially funded site. In the first three months of operation, the temporary site has had over 3,000 client visits. This clearly demonstrates an ongoing need for these services to remain in our community," he said.
The location of the permanent site is not known yet. If it's approved, there will only be one safe consumption site in the city.
