Use of newly opened SafePoint site 'in the ballpark' of expectations, WECHU CEO says

Windsor's SafePoint site is seeing a growing number of clients nearly a month into operation, health officials said Thursday.

As of end-of-day Wednesday, the supervised drug consumption site has had 43 client visits, 20 of those being unique clients. Twenty-six clients had consumed a substance on-site, according to data presented to the Windsor-Essex County board of health Thursday afternoon. Staff have not had to reverse an overdose at the site.

"That's right in the ballpark of what we expected in terms of clients," said Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU)CEO Ken Blanchette. "With this kind of operation and care that we're providing into the community, it's really about establishing trust for those individuals that are coming to the site."

In the early days of the site, Blanchette said there is afocus oncreating relationships and a "safe environment for those to be able to be in so that they are comfortable in asking for the help."

Staff also made 14 referrals to other services that include mental health and addictions support, income and housing support and clothing services, and have provided primary care including wound and foot care and first-aid.

The health unit shared two anonymous stories of clients who had used the site. One person came into SafePoint and was assisted in creating an email address and getting on the housing registry. A second person had recent been released from incarceration and received assistance applying for the Ontario Disability Support Program.

"Being able to access these types of services speaks to the benefits beyond just overdose prevention, which would be a huge benefit just in and of itself," said Eric Nadalin, manager of public health programs for WECHU.

Here's why it's taken 7 years to open Windsor's first supervised drug consumption site

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Despite years of red tape and community pushback, Windsors first supervised drug consumption site, SafePoint, opens on Wednesday. CBC Windsor News at 6 host Katerina Georgieva takes a closer look at the timeline leading up to its opening, as Windsor deals with a growing drug epidemic.

Blanchette said the client volumes the site has seen to date are in line with expectations while the service gets up and running and while providers build relationships with the community. Blanchette said they are having conversations about the location, including with WECHU board member and Ward 3 Coun. Renaldo Agostino, who originally raised concerned about the site's location shortly before its opening.

Nadalin said the split of clients was about half and half men and women, something that is uncommon other sites similar to SafePoint typically see more men than women.

"That was really one of the main surprising components of this," Nadalin said, thanking the community partners with which SafePoint has worked. "I know we did a lot of outreach with our communities, those who service different disenfranchised populations and those in particular that work with women who are at higher risk.

"It's not what has been seen in other communities in terms of the split most have seen but we're happy that the community of women are feeling welcomed in the site as well."

Blanchette said staff are engaging with the province on a weekly basis regarding funding to operate the site, and said while they're happy with the progress, said he couldn't provide a timeline for funding.

Surrounding business owners have the cell phone number of the security assigned to the site, who themselves have mental health training, Blanchette added.

"We've been working with the businesses in the local area as well to make sure we're engaging with them and addressing their needs as we go through this piece and having some pretty great success stories about connectivity of the clients that have been using this site to the services that we also offer in Windsor-Essex."

Staff will continue to present monthly updates to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit board of health on SafePoint's progress.