BACKGROUND
Overview
- SafePoint officially opened on Wednesday, April 26th, 2023, serving clients 7 days per week between the hours of 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. daily.
- In order to ensure transparency related to SafePoint operations, the Board of Health will be provided with regular updates.
Application Status
- On July 21st, 2023, the WECHU received a letter from the federal government authorizing the requested Supervised Consumption Services (SCS) exemption.
- The SCS exemption granted by Health Canada has since been shared with the Ontario Ministry of Health, and in doing so, the WECHU confirmed with the provincial Ministry of Health that there are no elements outstanding in its application to operate a fully funded Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site.
- As it stands, the Ministry of Health application for CTS funding remains under review.
CURRENT INITIATIVES
Operational Data
It has been three months since SafePoint opened on April 26th and there have been 288 client visits amongst 93 unique client visits, with no overdoses reported on-site to date. Additional details about the services provided at SafePoint during the month of July are presented in Tables 1-3.
|
Total Unique Clients: 30 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Demographic |
Number of Unique Clients |
|
|
Age |
Under 25 |
3 |
|
|
25-64 |
25 |
|
|
Unknown |
2 |
|
Gender |
Man |
23 |
|
|
Woman |
6 |
|
|
Gender not listed |
1 |
|
Race |
White |
20 |
|
|
Indigenous |
2 |
|
|
Arabic |
2 |
|
|
Latin American/Hispanic |
3 |
|
|
SouthEast Asian |
2 |
|
|
Declined to answer |
1 |
|
Total Number of Client Visits: 114 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Indicator |
Number of Visits |
|
|
Visit by Time of Day |
10:00 – 11:59 a.m. |
32 |
|
|
+12:00 – 2:59 p.m. |
50 |
|
|
3:00 – 6:00 p.m. |
32 |
|
Type of Visit |
Consumption |
38 |
|
Consumption Visits Reported |
Crystal |
25 |
|
|
Morphine |
1 |
|
|
Fentanyl |
10 |
|
|
Ritalin |
1 |
|
Consumption Visits by Method of Consumption |
Injection |
38 |
|
Total Number of Client Visits: 114 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Indicator |
Number of Times Service Offered |
|||
|
Drug Checking |
On-site fentanyl drug checking |
2 |
||
|
Basic Care |
First aid |
4 |
||
| Wound/abscess | 10 | |||
| Foot care | 6 | |||
|
Wraparound Services |
|
On-site |
Referral |
|
|
|
Addictions treatment |
- |
9 |
|
|
|
Mental health |
- |
6 |
|
|
|
Primary care |
15 |
11 |
|
| Social services | 6 | 9 | ||
Client Experience Narrative
Beyond the number of client visits recorded in the month of July, SafePoint continues to demonstrate that the services being offered are having a positive impact on clients, as highlighted through the following client experience narrative:
Anonymous Client #1
SafePoint security staff witnessed a person using a substance in the area surrounding SafePoint and encouraged them to access the site. The person was informed that if they entered the site that the nursing staff would monitor them to reduce their risk of harm. After staff educated the client about the services available on site, the client agreed to remain inside and be monitored. The client was able to be monitored under the supervision of medically trained staff and was provided the option to access wraparound services.
FUTURE PLANS
As part of SafePoint’s continued commitment to community engagement, the WECHU will work closely with the SafePoint Advisory Committee members, including the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association (DWBIA), to expand efforts in offering support to surrounding businesses and address concerns related to the site's operations. A “SafePoint Toolkit” will be distributed as part of active outreach to area businesses, which contains resources that outline services offered at SafePoint, who to contact if a business-related concern is identified, and other supports made available to businesses as the site operates.
Since opening, SafePoint staff have attended 6 community events where resources and information about SafePoint have been shared. This has led to connections with various community partners for client referrals.
SafePoint has continued in its efforts to expand the wraparound services available on-site. The Recovery Education for Addictions and Complex Trauma (RE/ACT) team will now be on-site every Wednesday from 4:00
p.m. – 5:00 p.m. to support clients through their holistic substance use recovery program. The program focuses on the numerous ways in which trauma shapes people’s lives, thought patterns, behaviours, and health. To view the full wraparound service schedule for the site, please visit the WECOSS webpage: Consumption and Treatment Services Site.