Windsor-Essex's first supervised consumption site, SafePoint, set to open April 26

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit(WECHU) announced Wednesday the opening of a new facility, SafePoint,for the supervised consumption of drugs.

The health unit said it received approval from Health Canada on April 14 following a successful site inspection in early March. SafePoint will officially open to users on April 26.

Local health officials have been working towardsbringing this resource to the community for seven years.

The new facility will host open house sessions on Thursday and Friday.

Dr. Ken Blanchette, CEO of WECHU,said this is to ensuretrust with stakeholders and communities.

"Engagement with residents, businesses and other stakeholders in our downtown core has guided the long process to bring this site to fruition, and this is one of the many ongoing opportunities to bring keep this engagement going," Blanchette said in a newsrelease.

WECHUalso announced a new partner that will oversee the facility's day-to-day operations of SafePoint.Htel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, a mental health and addiction service, is set to establish staffing, emergency response and connections to treatment at SafePoint.

"Those suffering from addiction need compassion while navigating their journey to recovery," said Bill Marra, president and CEO ofHtel-Dieu Grace. "We look forward to working close with the health unit and other partnering agencies to ensure this site is a success."