CSCS Ottawa blogs

The harm reduction model of drug addiction treatment

Greg — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 04:00:00 +0000

"We know that if recovery is ever going to happen, we have to keep people alive". When it comes to combatting drug use, Mark Tyndall believes sanctions aren't enough, and that they sometimes hurt more than they help. As Executive Medical Director for the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Mark has come to see the importance of providing drug users with all different types of support.

From supervised injection sites to methadone clinics, Mark has been an early adopter and leader of various harm reduction efforts in Vancouver, BC. Tune in to his 2017 TEDMED Talk to learn more about how these models have not only saved lives, but have also become the first step to recovery for many suffering from drug addiction.

RNAO releases best practices guideline on implementing supervised injection services

Greg — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 04:00:00 +0000

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario has just published its Best Practice Guideline on Implementing Supervised Injection Services. We're very proud to have contributed as stakeholders in the development of this guide, along with many other nurses, harm reduction professionals, and advocates.

"These approaches promote engagement, support positive health outcomes, and help reduce harms associated with injection drug use."

OPO transitioning to the second phase of advocacy and service delivery

Greg — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 05:00:00 +0000

This blog post originally appeared on the Overdose Prevention Ottawa website.

It is with heavy hearts that Overdose Prevention Ottawa share that we are closing the service we have provided on the patch of grass located at 307 St. Patrick Street since August 25, 2017. In over two months, we have had 3445 visits, reversed five overdoses with naloxone, and prevented hundreds more through various interventions, including enhanced monitoring, providing a safe space for people to consume drugs, to be able to take their time, and experience connection and belonging within the community.

Overdose Prevention Ottawa provided the first public safe space in our city for people to use drugs, primarily through injection and inhalation. At that time, there were no harm reduction services that provided a space for people to safely consume drugs. We have built relationships of trust with people, the building blocks of healing deep wounds. Every day, our guests tell us that they and their friends are alive because of our services.

In just over two months, we have accomplished much to make our city safer for people who use drugs, to combat stigma and criminalization, and fix some of the many gaps in the healthcare system. For 74 days, we have operated without any support from any level of government. It is only through the tireless efforts of our more than 200 volunteers, and through the donations of thousands of private supporters were we able to stand up where our government had failed so many. It is shameful that so many individuals have had to sacrifice so much to fix that failing. But it is also truly inspiring to see the love, the compassion, and unwavering support of our neighbours in the face of this emergency. We have created a powerful community of advocates and we will continue to use that strength to both demand and actively build a better city for everyone.

Overdose Prevention Ottawa has been successful in our mission to bring accessible, safer consumption services to the area of our city most affected by the overdose emergency. Thanks to our efforts, there are now two supervised injection services operating within two blocks of our site. Although they operate in distinct ways from Overdose Prevention Ottawa, their openings warrant a reconsideration of the need for our services in Lowertown. Through our dedicated service and our advocacy, we have forced harm reduction service providers to respond, and have helped pave a path towards a more equitable healthcare system, one that treats drug users with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Now, we are going to redirect our efforts to address other failings in the healthcare system throughout Ottawa. For that reason, we will be closing the 307 St. Patrick overdose prevention site this week and transitioning to the second phase of advocacy and service delivery. We will continue to monitor and respond to the needs for overdose prevention services throughout the City of Ottawa and take steps to ensure the health and well-being of those who are most at risk of preventable death.

Along with our guests and volunteers, we are angry and ashamed by the responses by each level of government to this ongoing emergency. Overdose Prevention Ottawa operated its service less than two kilometres from Parliament Hill and City Hall, where local and national decisions that, for many people, can mean life or death. Despite that proximity, governments continue to operate largely according to business as usual. Particularly reprehensible are the actions of Mayor Jim Watson, Councillor Mathieu Fleury, and Minister of Health Dr. Eric Hoskins who profess to take action to address the overdose emergency in one breath and then deny services to people who use drugs in another. Canada is facing a preventable health emergency that is driven by prohibition, criminalization, and stigma. We will continue to demand action from federal, provincial, and municipal governments. These same levels of government and harm reduction organizations have benefitted from Overdose Prevention Ottawa providing this service and doing their work for them.

Significant changes have taken place over the past two months, but much still needs to be done. Safer inhalation services, like the kind provided by Overdose Prevention Ottawa, are an essential and currently lacking service in this city. We have long known that the government and health and social services abandon and criminalize people who use drugs. Overdose Prevention Ottawa stepped in to care for the community. Since these structures have not provided meaningful support for Overdose Prevention Ottawa. They are again abandoning people who use drugs.

Overdose Prevention Ottawa is not going anywhere. We will remain engaged in overdose prevention work and advocacy. We have thrived because of this shared understanding from our supporters and the community. For that, Overdose Prevention Ottawa is forever grateful. We have made long-lasting connections, saved lives and made history together. And we will continue to do so, together.

Overdose Prevention Ottawa

Follow Overdose Prevention Ottawa on Twitter and Facebook.
Support OPO by making a donation.

CFI presents "The Stairs" in Ottawa

Greg — Sun, 08 Oct 2017 13:47:54 +0000

Shot over the course of several years, Hugh Gibson’s profoundly affecting and compassionate documentary examines the lives of habitual drug users in Toronto’s Regent Park.

One night only: Sat Oct 14, 7:00PM, Richcraft Hall Theatre, Carleton University
Special Audience Q&A: Director Hugh Gibson & Dr. Marilou Gagnon (U of Ottawa)

Presented by the Canadian Film Institute. Admission is $9.00 for CFI Members and Seniors, $13.00 for the general public. For unwaged persons, admission is pay-what-you-can. This event is free for Carleton University staff and students.

Tickets: www.cfi-icf.ca
Trailer: thestairsdoc.com

Hugh Gibson's compassionate and profoundly affecting The Stairs takes us inside Toronto's Regent Park Community Health Centre, whose staff of social workers includes both former and current drug users. These workers understand all too well what their clients are going through.

Shot over five years, Gibson's film focuses on three staff members: the loquacious, seemingly tireless Marty, who was so addicted at one point that, after being shot in a deal that went south, he stopped for a hit before going to the hospital; Roxanne, a former sex worker whose tales of life in the trade are beyond harrowing; and Greg, a biracial child of the 1960s consumed with a long-delayed legal case hinging on a police officer's use of excessive force.

As it draws us closer to Gibson's subjects, The Stairs challenges prejudices and preconceived notions. It also underlines how tentative sobriety and stability can be for people who have lived in addiction for years. In one of the film's rawest moments, Marty, when asked what kind of future he sees for himself, explains that "When you wake up and you're at that next day, you're very happy because it's another day you didn't smoke crack … I didn't do it yesterday, I'm not gonna do it today either. That's our happy ending. Cuz it never ends."

As the film progresses, Gibson subtly builds a wide-ranging portrait of the conditions that can nurture addiction, most notably poverty and homelessness. In its nuance, social conscience, and moving affection for its subjects, The Stairs is a worthy continuation of the tradition set by the NFB's legendary Unit B."

- Steve Gravestock, Toronto International Film Festival

CSCS supports Overdose Prevention Ottawa's life-saving initiative

Greg — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 13:38:05 +0000

The Campaign for Safer Consumption Sites in Ottawa was formed in 2011 to advocate for evidence-based, compassionate responses to problematic drug use that focus on reducing harm and fostering healthier and safer communities for all.

The recent establishment of the city’s first pop-up overdose prevention site by Overdose Prevention Ottawa is the realization of one of our campaign’s founding goals. By offering a low-barrier, non-judgemental space for people to use drugs under supervision, OPO have taken urgent action to confront a growing health crisis.

The members of CSCSO extend our full support to OPO’s organizers and volunteers. We’re pleased to announce our donation of $1000 to aid Overdose Prevention Ottawa in their ongoing work to provide life-saving harm reduction services.

We commend OPO for responding to an overdose epidemic which has decimated communities in Western Canada and shows no signs of slowing down in Ontario. Their bold actions stand in sharp contrast to our current societal response to drug use, which is unnecessarily punitive, cruel, and expensive, in both tax dollars and in the cost to human lives.

Over the past 6 years, CSCSO have been honoured to be the recipients of funding and donations from individuals and groups including OPIRG-Ottawa, the Carleton University Graduate Association, and Promdemonium. We trust that our supporters will agree that there is no better use for these funds than in support of a peer-centered service that promotes the health and dignity of vulnerable people in our community.

OPO relies on the generosity of donors to keep their overdose prevention site running. We urge you to give what you can so that this essential health care initiative can continue, whether it be financial aid, snacks and drinks for their guests, or meals for their volunteers.

Please join us in voicing your support for Overdose Prevention Ottawa and evidence-based health policy to Mayor Jim Watson, the Chief of Police, and your City Councillor. Let them know that people who use drugs are our neighbours, family, and friends, and that their lives and safety are important and valued.

To learn more about Overdose Prevention Ottawa’s important work, connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

Towards a safer and healthier Ottawa,
The Campaign for Safer Consumption Sites in Ottawa

Overdose Prevention Ottawa continues life-saving service on twentieth day of operations

Greg — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 04:00:00 +0000

This blog post originally appeared on the Overdose Prevention Ottawa website.

On its twentieth day of operation, Overdose Prevention Ottawa (OPO) continues to provide life-saving harm reduction services to its guests.

OPO applauds the upcoming expedited opening of Sandy Hill Community Centre’s supervised injection service, and yesterday’s announcement that Ottawa Public Health will be opening a satellite supervised injection service on Clarence Street in the coming weeks. We are also encouraged to see Somerset West Community Health Centre’s and Ottawa Inner City Health`s supervised injection service pending approval by Health Canada.

OPO has worked collaboratively with all Ottawa harm-reduction partners and stakeholders since opening and will continue to do so moving forward. As OPO continues to be the only active overdose prevention service coupled with harm reduction services for those most affected by drug prohibition and homelessness, our services will continue operating. OPO is committed to an evidence-based model of care that is demonstrably successful and unique in the City of Ottawa. Decades of advocacy by people who use drugs informed our best practices. Our guests have been clear that what we offer works for them; “this is saving my life” are words we regularly hear from guests using the tents.

OPO provides an essential health service where people feel respected and worthy. In the early days of our operation, one guest demonstrated the essential nature of OPO’s service when she turned to us and asked, “Where have you been all my life?” Open for only 3 hours per day, our service has been accessed 575 times in 19 days of operation. More importantly, we have leveraged and built deep connections with community members, agencies and services who provide us with daily kind words, donations, and gratitude. Last Friday, September 8th, when a few neighbours tried to physically prevent us from opening our service, outstanding community support resulted in no disruption to our regular service.

The overdose emergency facing our city is a direct result of the ongoing war on drug users, neglect of the homeless and those living in deep poverty, and inaction by each level of government. This very inaction and apathy, municipally, provincially, and federally has contributed to a climate where a small minority of residents are able to relentlessly harass our volunteers and our guests while we provide this life-saving service. Despite receiving hundreds of letters of support for our site and a personal invitation to visit our service, Mayor Jim Watson continues to spread misinformation and ignore expert knowledge on the matter. Out of the 25 overdose prevention sites in Canada, no other civic leader, entrusted with the safety and duty of care for citizens, has behaved as recklessly with his own resident’s lives as Mayor Watson. Ignorance and apathy during this crisis are not an option. Overdose Prevention Ottawa is proud of its over 60 volunteers who work tirelessly through this turbulence to maintain a high quality, accessible, and safe service for our guests.

We thank the leadership of agencies who have supported OPO’s action since its opening. OPO will continue to work collaboratively in the transition towards new supervised consumption services in Ottawa. We expect the Clarence Street service to follow harm reduction best practices and to be peer-staffed and peer-responsive, low barrier, meaningfully accessible for people who use drugs, invested in building relationships, and open 7 days a week during the day and evenings.

As details become available on the format and approach of services to be offered by Ottawa Public Health, Sandy Hill Community Health Centre, Somerset West Community Health Centre and Ottawa Inner City Health, OPO will continue to advocate and respond to the needs of people who use drugs in Ottawa.

Warm regards,
Overdose Prevention Ottawa

Follow Overdose Prevention Ottawa on Twitter and Facebook.
Support OPO by making a donation.

Open letter to Centretown Community Health Centre regarding changes in harm reduction services

Greg — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 16:37:22 +0000

To the Board of Directors of Centretown Community Health Centre,

We are writing because people who access harm reduction services at Centretown CHC have noticed a change in service delivery.

Examples of changes include:

Closure of the private, easy-to-access harm reduction room, requiring people to ask for bags of harm reduction supplies from the front desk in the public lobby space. This means that people who deserve confidentiality no longer have that option. This confidentiality includes having privacy from other workers at the Centre.
The removal of the designated harm reduction worker. This worker provided services beyond harm reduction like connection to essential resources, including immediate access to health care, housing resources, counselling, addiction resources, etc. that otherwise people would not have received.

Time is needed to build relationships, rapport, and trust, and without a harm reduction worker people are not getting the same level of care. Some people have expressed that the only reason they came to the Centre was to connect with the harm reduction worker and that they don’t bother coming anymore.

People often need more supplies than what is offered in the bags, and having to ask for services in a public setting is humiliating and sometimes impossible for those who are living with internalized stigma or mental illness. Staff at the front desk are varied and often seem to not be trained.

The current set-up is not only not confidential, it’s impractical. The way it is set up now means that people seeking to access services may have to wait in line, and if they have to wait, even if it is just for a moment, they are more likely to leave.

Centretown Community Health Centre has a reputation for not being as harm reduction-friendly as other service providers in Ottawa, and these changes are not helping build credibility in the community. Word of mouth has already resulted in people avoiding accessing Centretown CHC for supplies.

All of this makes members of the community feel like Centretown CHC doesn't want people who use substances to access their services. The Centre is not building a sense of belonging.

To our knowledge, there was no community consultation done to discuss these changes, and there was not any communication to inform people who use harm reduction services about any changes or to explain why they were implemented.

The Board of Directors has voted in favour of a SIS, however harm reduction services are being minimized and offered in a way that is not best practice. As Centretown CHC is well aware, there is an opioid crisis happening in our city. Now is the time for Community Health Centres to prioritize and maximize services that are meaningfully accessible to people who use substances. If the number of people accessing services is low, then the Centre needs to consult the community and make appropriate engagement changes, not reduce these life or death services. There is a significant need for harm reduction services in Centretown, and there are limited providers off of Bank Street as ACO has moved, so it is imperative that Centretown CHC offers exceptional service.

We join people who use substances in our community in asking for :

communication as to why these changes occured;
meaningful consultation with people who use substances about how to best provide harm reduction services (perhaps strike a harm reduction advisory board);
a designated harm reduction worker who is available in a private, easy to access room and who is not a worker in other over-lapping areas of the Centre (to help with privacy and increasing harm reduction access);
stop policing people who use substances (ie shaming people for needing to use the bathroom) and train ALL staff providing harm reduction about best practices;
signage WELCOMING and ENCOURAGING people to ask for supplies is needed at the front desk.

Please remember, every time you close a door, a person who uses substances may die.

Signed,
The Campaign for Safer Consumption Sites in Ottawa

This letter is based on a petition created by clients of harm reduction services at Centretown CHC.

National Day of Action on the Overdose Crisis

Greg — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 05:43:15 +0000

Our lives won’t wait.

That’s why on February 21st people who use drugs in seven Canadian cities will participate in demonstrations and marches to change Canadian drug policy for the better.

Join us in Ottawa to call on the federal government to:

End the War on Drugs. In the short-term, decriminalize possession of all drugs. In the long term full legalization and regulation of drugs.
Grant immediate exemptions to all supervised injection service (SIS) applicants and/or define them and any future SIS as health services implemented solely by provincial authorities.
Create a specific harm reduction initiative as part of the new Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy, to support, expand and adequately fund harm reduction programs and strategies including explicit funding for the development of drug user-based organizations and advocacy groups.
Remove barriers and increase access to opioid substitution therapy including access to prescription heroin.
Implement harm reduction in prisons : needle exchange programs, increasing access to opioid substitution therapy and continuation after release

Coming soon to Ontario: supervised injection sites

Greg — Sat, 14 Jan 2017 16:01:25 +0000

TVO's The Agenda hosts an excellent in-depth discussion of the benefits of supervised injection sites and the pressing need in Ottawa & Toronto with Joe Cressy and Dr. Ahmed Bayoumi.

Last July, Toronto approved the establishment of three safe injection sites and now, in an effort to battle opioid overdose deaths, the province has agreed to fund those sites and one in Ottawa. Toronto Councillor Joe Cressy has been a strong advocate for the public health benefits of such facilities. Dr. Bayoumi is the co-author of the 2012 TOSCA report on the harm reduction potential of safe injection sites in Ottawa and Toronto.

Results of Ottawa Public Health harm reduction public consultation study

Greg — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 04:00:00 +0000

This past summer, Ottawa Public Health conducted a public consultation survey on enhanced harm reduction services in Ottawa. Over 2,200 people completed the survey, which was available online and in paper format in English and French. The survey was anonymous, confidential, and voluntary.

Survey results indicated that:

60% of respondents thought that offering harm reduction services in more areas of the city would be beneficial.
66% of respondents thought that longer hours would be beneficial.
62% of respondents thought that having harm reduction dispensing units available would be beneficial.
66% of respondents thought that having supervised injection services available would be beneficial.

When asked for recommendations on how to address community concerns, specifically regarding
supervised injection services, the top three recommendations were:

Provide information to the community about the goals and benefits of supervised injection services (61%);
Evaluate services, share results with the community and respond to evaluation results (58%);
Establish a community advisory group to identify and address issues as they emerge (50%).

Read the full report here.