Achi news desk-
A mobile overdose prevention site in Winnipeg has seen tens of thousands of visits from people looking to access services or use drugs in a safe setting – more than double what was initially anticipated, a review of the site’s first year says on work.
Between October 2022 and October 2023, there were 26,154 visits to the site run by Sunshine House, a drop-in and resource centre, said the report released on Thursday.
More than 7,000 of these visits were from individuals intending to take drugs. There were 20 overdoses, four trips to the hospital at the individual’s request and no deaths.
“(The mobile overdose prevention site) is successful and exceeds all expectations,” the review said.
“(The site) has had a positive impact on marginalized and vulnerable populations and has succeeded in reducing the harm associated with substance use.”
The site also distributed harm reduction supplies, including needles and clean pipes. Hundreds of tests were carried out on drugs using a machine that analyzes their chemical composition.
Sunshine House hired a local consulting firm to prepare the report, which is based on data collected on site, as well as interviews, focus groups and surveys. Researchers spoke to more than 600 people for the review.
The report said the success of the program goes beyond the numbers.
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A large number of people interviewed spoke of the “profound” impact the site has had on vulnerable individuals, community organizations and Winnipeg’s core neighbourhood.
“Overall, (the site) has … shown the need for this service through the large number of visits, relationships and bonds that have been made. This program has saved lives and changed lives, and continues to serve Winnipeg’s vulnerable populations with care and compassion,” the review said.
The website was launched in October 2022 in response to the growing toxic drug crisis that has swept across Canada. The report said many provinces responded by providing supervised places for people to use drugs with sterile equipment and supplies in a monitored space, but Manitoba failed to step up.
Sunshine House received funding from the federal government to run the site.
The site operates out of a recreational vehicle that travels around the core of Winnipeg five days a week. It is overseen by a co-ordinator and run by staff and people Sunshine House calls peers — those who have used drugs or are currently using them.
“The peers succeeded in creating a warm and welcoming environment, and shaping programs and services to the specific needs of users,” said the report.
Despite successes, the report said the site “is not the answer to the whole (toxic drug) crisis.”
“One mobile overdose prevention site is nowhere near enough to meet the size and scale of the challenge,” he said.
In a study released this week, researchers from the University of Toronto found that opioid-related deaths doubled in Canada between 2019 and the end of 2021, with the Prairie provinces experiencing a dramatic jump.
Manitoba saw the largest increase in opioid-related overdose deaths for those aged 30 to 39, reaching 500 deaths per million population – more than five times the 89 deaths per million population recorded on the start of the study period.
The overdose site report said more needs to be done to address the “chasm gap” in services offered by the health care and public health systems in Manitoba, including access to housing and mental health and addiction support.
It also recommended the creation of a number of supervised consumption sites in Winnipeg.
Manitoba’s NDP government has committed to helping fund a safe-use site in the city. Premier Wab Kinnew said last month, when the provincial budget was released, that such a site was expected to open next year.
Some interviewed for the report said a permanent site with longer operating hours and counseling services was needed.
& copy 2024 The Canadian Press
