2 resuscitated at London's temporary overdose prevention site

Two people were resuscitated on Saturday at London's temporary overdose prevention site which is the first of its kind in Ontario.

Health-care staff at the King Street site used oxygen to help revive two peoplewhowere overdosing on fentanyl, said Chris Mackie, medical officer of health at the Middlesex London Health Unit.

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

"It's such a good thing that this service was available," he said.

"[They] were very inexperienced users. It's quite likely that if they had taken these drugs in a back alley or in a stairwell that they may not have survived."

Since it opened three weeks ago, there have been more than 300 visits to the site that helps people usedrugs safely and seek services for recovery. The overdoses on Saturday were the first staff have had to respond to.

"This is not a problem that happens Monday to Friday," said Mackie, citing the importance of the site's weekend hours.

• With lives on the line, London's overdose prevention site opens

Mackie said the site is also acting as a space for people to connect with one another on drug-related issues.

"We've seen people talking others out of injecting their drugs and instead using the drugs in a different way that would be safer. We've seen people connecting with human beings in ways that could potentially help them move on in their life journey," he said.

The temporary site is run by the health unitand Regional HIV/AIDS Connection, among other social agencies. It has received about $130,000 in provincial funding.