The following letter was sent to Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Health Christine Elliott by members of the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy
Dear Premier Ford and Minister Elliott,
Re: Continued Funding for Overdose Prevention Sites
This letter is addressed to you on behalf of the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy (WGDS), a coalition of over 30 partner organizations whose mission is to take action to prevent and respond to substance use issues in our community. The WGDS approaches these issues using a "four-pillar" lens. These pillars are: 1) prevention, 2) harm reduction, 3) treatment and recovery, and 4) community safety.
Like so many other communities in Ontario, Guelph-Wellington is experiencing first-hand the impacts of the current opioid crisis. Guelph Police Services report fentanyl seizures in 2017 were three times greater than in 2016. Between 2013-2016 the average rate of emergency department visits for opioid poisoning was 53 per cent higher in Guelph-Wellington than the provincial average. In July, 2018, "purple heroin" in Guelph was found to contain toxic levels of fentanyl. Three people died within a week. It is anticipated that the coroner's report will confirm the cause of death as opioid poisoning. Available data also confirms that, in the midst of this crisis, local residents are actively seeking access to life-and health-saving interventions. In the last six years, syringe distribution through the local needle exchange program has tripled. Since 2016, there has been a 600 per cent increase in the local distribution of naloxone kits.
As a community, we are working diligently to respond to the opioid crisis through a four pillar approach. In 2017, our community launched a Rapid Access Addiction Clinic and Community Withdrawal Support Services. WGDS working groups are supporting primary care prescribers to change opioid prescribing practices, and offer opioid substitution therapies through primary care clinics. In addition to these initiatives, a collaborative of local organizations (Guelph Community Health Centre, Guelph Family Health Team, and HIV/AIDS Resources and Community Health - ARCH Guelph) partnered to submit an application for an Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) in January 2018.
The application was approved and, in May, 2018, an OPS was opened at the Guelph Community Health Centre. The site is staffed seven hours a day, seven days a week by registered nurses and peer outreach workers. While this is only one aspect of our community's response, the OPS is a vital and life-saving resource in the face of the immediate risks posed by the opioid crisis.
In the four months it has operated, the Guelph OPS and its staff have:
- Provided 1,050 service visits to community residents (162 unique individuals as of Aug. 12) and prevented 10 overdoses intervened in three acute medical emergencies
- Provided referrals to a registered nurse for 100 per cent of clients attending the OPS and provided wound care and health teaching to clients on a daily basis and provided numerous referrals to addiction treatment services, opioid substitution treatment
- Provides, HCV/HIV testing, as well as to housing and food services, and physical / mental health supports
We are grateful for your government's commitment to reviewing the considerable evidence that exists regarding the effectiveness of overdose prevention / supervised consumption sites in Canada and around the world in enhancing both individual health and community safety. We also encourage you to consider the day-to-day experience of communities such as ours when making this important decision.
While your government works to develop a comprehensive and multi-faceted provincial strategy to address the complex challenges presented by the opioid crisis, we ask that you continue to fund our local Overdose Prevention Site, and other such sites across the province. They are, quite literally, the difference between life and death for many in our community.
Sincerely,
Adrienne Crowder, Manager WGDS per WGDS Management Group
WGDS Management Group:
Kerry Manthenga, Clinical Director, Community Services, Stonehenge Therapeutic Community Inspector
Pat Milligan, Guelph Police Services
Kate Vsetula, Director Community Services, Guelph Community Health Centre
Leanne Swantko, Deputy Chief, Guelph-Wellington Paramedic Service
Rita Isley, Director of Community Health and Wellness, Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health
Stuart Beumer, Director of Ontario Works, County of Wellington
