London's temporary overdose prevention site reports 'very successful' first week

Organizers of London's first temporary overdose prevention site, the first of its kind in southwestern Ontario,are calling their first week of operationsa success.

"I am pleased to report that it was a very successful week," said Brian Lester, the regional director of London's HIV/AIDS Connection, noting the program served 69 people in its first five days of operation.

"There was hesitation early in the week," Lester said. "We're talking about a population that's generally not trusting of professional healthcare. They're slowly opting in."

The facility includes a waiting area, where patients receive triage services, a room where drug users can consume substances under medical supervision and an aftercare room.

• Take a tour of London's Temporary Overdose Prevention Site

The site, which opened February 12 at 186 King Street, the same space as the city's existing needle exchange program, is a response by health authorities to the deadly opioid crisis that's swept across the country.

Big city drug problem

Last year,London hadthe third highest rate ofopioidoverdoses in Canada, handedout free needles at a rate second only to Vancouver and is the only city in Ontario where new cases of blood borne illnesses such as HIV are on the rise, thanks to drug users sharing dirty needles.

• Why London's HIV rates are growing faster than anywhere in Ontario

• London hands out 2.5 million needles to addicts every year

Health authorities announced the location of the site on January 19, along with the fact that healthcare workers would use "love and respect" in dealing with the city's drug users.

• Why 'love is a powerful tool' in fixing London's opioid crisis

Along with a full-time nurse and harm reduction support workers, the facility includes a host of other services, including mental health, housing and addiction counselling.

"One of the things we wanted to create in within our community, within this program was ensuring that we're not just providing support for the experience of injection to make sure people are safe and not overdosing," Lester said. "We also want to connect people to other aspects of wellness."