The Essex County Medical Society (ECMS) has urged the continued preparation of a temporary safe-consumption site in downtown Windsor.
An open letter has been sent by ECMS President Joseph Zakaria, asking the City of Windsor to move forward with the opening of the Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site as scheduled.
Zakaria cited one sad statistic while stating his case for the project to continue.
"In 2021, there were an unfortunate 86 opioid overdose deaths, which is the highest yearly total in recorded history," wrote Zakaria. "Opioid and drug use are medical conditions that warrant medical care and advocacy for patient well-being and safety. As a policy of abstinence is not sufficient to treat the condition effectively, many are supporting a harm-reduction model to care."
Zakaria cited the health benefits of having a safe consumption site, including the presence of sterile equipment and education on how to use safely, trained staff who supervise use and monitor clients after use, and a supply of naloxone kits and harm-reduction supplies.
He also addressed concerns that the CTS will lead to more lawlessness.
"Research shows that these sites have not contributed to increased crime," wrote Zakaria. "Instead, they help promote safety for clients by supporting the use of sterile supplies and by having supervision on site. In 2017 and 2019, there were around two million client visits to Canadian supervised consumption sites. During this time period, there were around 15,000 overdoses and drug-related medical emergencies reported at these sites with no reported fatalities, demonstrating that these CTS sites save lives."
The planned CTS site at 101 Wyandotte Street East, to be called SafePoint, is currently being converted with a scheduled opening date at the end of March. However, Ward 3 Councillor Renaldo Agostino introduced a motion to rescind the location last month, citing concerns about it being too close to the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel and downtown businesses. A compromise was reached, allowing SafePoint to open as scheduled in exchange for dropping the motion to rescind and planning discussion on a long-term location.
The site is still subject to approval by the federal government and the Ontario Ministry of Health.
The ECMS represents 450 physicians in Windsor-Essex.
The publication of the open letter comes as the Windsor-Essex Community Opioid and Substance Strategy (WECOSS) reported an increase in overdose-related emergency department visits. Between February 16 and Thursday, nine ED visits were counted with six of them involving fetanyl.