Ottawa doctors sign joint letter warning of increased harm after closure of drug consumption sites

Supplies are seen at the temporary supervised injection site on Clarence St. in Ottawa that opened on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017.

Doctors with Ottawa Inner City Health are warning that the closure of supervised drug consumption sites in the city will lead to additional harm.

The Ontario government will no longer fund the supervised consumption sites at the Shepherds of Good Hope, known as “the trailer” and at the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre, as of Saturday.

In a joint letter dated May 28, published on Facebook on Tuesday, four Ottawa Inner City Health doctors said they were “profoundly concerned” about the sites’ closures and the impact it would have on the community.

“Evidence from other cities shows the effects of these closures extend beyond the people who use drugs, and affect their families, communities, and health-care workers alike,” the letter says.

The doctors said the Ottawa Inner City Health trailer has been a critical point of safety and connection.

“It prevents overdoses, identifies infections early on, and connects people to mental health care, comprehensive addiction treatment, primary care, and housing support,” the letter says. “It is also where trust is built between health-care providers and those who use the site, often after many years of trauma and difficult experiences within the health-care system. We understand that the province’s decision to close this site is, unfortunately, final.”

The Ford government has been focused instead on its homelessness and addiction recovery treatment (HART) hubs, which offer access to services such as primary care, mental health and addictions services, mental health and addiction supportive housing, but does not offer supervised consumption services, safer supply, or needle exchanges.

In May, Ottawa’s medical officer of health, Dr. Trevor Arnason, expressed his own concerns with the decision to close supervised consumption services in the city, saying it will likely lead to an increase in overdoses and deaths. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he shared Arnason’s concerns.

The Ottawa Inner City Health doctors echoed Arnason’s worries.

“We know that closing the Trailer will not stop drug use. It will shift into alleyways, doorways, transit stations, and public washrooms, where people are alone, in unmonitored environments,” the letter says. “Without medical supervision, the risk of fatal overdose is far higher when there is no one to recognize an overdose and administer naloxone and other first aid.”

The doctors warn of increased public drug use, more emergency calls, and more pressure on paramedics and police in the ByWard Market and Lowertown.

The letter notes there are many efforts in place to improve downtown safety.

“The Block Leaders program connects people in crisis to care, while the Targeted Engagement and Diversion (TED) program at Shepherds of Good Hope provides 24/7 monitoring for people under the influence, allowing them to safely detox in the community. As a result, 87 per cent of participants do not require hospital transfer,” the letter says. “These programs show how community-based, harm-reduction principled care improves outcomes and reduces pressure on emergency services but are only part of the solution.”

The letter ends with the doctors urging local officials to work with Ottawa Inner City Health and other local health-care providers to mitigate “the serious, preventable health and safety consequences of this closure.”

Ottawa has two HART hubs, one at the Somerset West Community Health Centre — which formerly operated a supervised consumption site — and one in Bells Corners, operated by the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre.

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