‘Our goal has always been to work with the province to ensure we have the funding to provide critical life-saving services in our community.’
Somerset West Community Health Centre has no plans to continue offering supervised consumption services, despite a recent court injunction allowing it to remain open temporarily.
With 10 Ontario supervised consumption sites scheduled to close April 1, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice granted an injuction Friday while a judge reviews a constitutional challenge of a provincial law banning such sites from operating within 200 metres of schools or daycares.
The injunction includes Somerset West. Just one of the sites ordered closed by the province — in Toronto — plans to remain open while the constitutional challenge is reviewed.
Somerset West executive director Suzanne Obiorah noted in a statement that the Ontario government has been clear that it will not fund supervised consumption sites and will withhold funding for those who continue to operate.
“Our goal has always been to work with the province to ensure we have the funding to provide critical life-saving services in our community,” she said.
Toward that goal, she said, Somerset West is focused on the Ontario government’s new Hart (Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment) Hub model, which will be phased in, beginning April 1. It closed its supervised injection site early to allow for renovations for the HART Hub, but continued to offer other harm reduction services.
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“Over the last seven months, we have worked diligently with multiple partners in Ottawa to ensure this program provides urgent help to those who need it.”
Somerset West operated one of three supervised consumption sites in the city. It was one of 10 across the province ordered to close as of March 31 because of proximity to schools or daycares. Somerset West was offered funding to transition to a Hart Hub, a provincial initiative to address mental health, addiction and homelessness by providing integrated care including treatment, supportive housing and social services.
Many advocates support the provincial initiative, but say it doesn’t replace the need for supervised consumption sites amid a toxic drug crisis.
Obiorah said closing supervised consumption sites will cause harm.
“The Justice has recognized that closing supervised consumption services will cause significant harm across the province, including the loss of life. We are gravely concerned that services to mitigate public drug use, prevent the spread of disease, and reverse drug poisoning have significantly reduced in Ottawa and across Ontario as a result of these closures.
“While a HART hub is not a replacement for supervised consumption services, it has promise, and we want it to succeed,” she added.
She said the lack of co-ordinated care has been damaging to the health system.
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