Timmins supervised drug consumption site to be taken over by CMHA
Funding to keep the supervised drug consumption site open in Timmins has been found and it will be taken over by Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Cochrane-Timiskaming.
The uncertainty about the ability to keep the Safe Health Site Timmins (SHST) open has been eliminated with a new partnership between the Timmins and District Hospital (TADH) and CMHA.
"The SHST will begin the transition from the Urgent Public Health Needs Site (UPHNS) exemption, operated by TADH to the Consumption Treatment Services (CTS) exemption, operated by CMHA-CT," the two groups said in a joint news release.
"This extension is made possible through new and existing funding sources that support those in our community living with substance use disorders."
It was also announced that CMHA-CT will temporarily subsidize the operating costs for the site after funding was found.
- Download the CTV News app now
- Get local breaking news alerts
- Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox
The CMHA received federal approval for a permanent consumption treatment services site in September 2023 but is still waiting for provincial approval.
"In 2020, a funding proposal was submitted to Ontario Health for the development of the Timmins Wellness Centre, a comprehensive treatment facility," the hospital said.
"The Timmins and District Hospital resubmitted a funding proposal for the development of the Timmins Wellness Centre in December 2023 and are awaiting a response from the province."
The site will change hands in the coming months.
"Through this partnership, important services like treatment, case management and referrals, on-site counselling, harm reduction, education and prevention for infectious diseases (like HIV/Hep C) and wound care remain readily accessible for those who need them," the news release said.
"The SHST has demonstrated its effectiveness as an evidence-based solution to connect individuals with treatment and care, save lives and safeguard emergency and health service capacity."
There has been a 20 per cent reduction in opioid-related ambulance calls, emergency room visits and overdose deaths since the site opened, the hospital said.
More than 1,500 people have accessed the supervised drug consumption site between July 2022 and December 2023.
Timmins has a population of under 42,000 people.
Timmins had one of the highest rates of opioid-related deaths in Ontario in 2020 at 75.3 per 100,000.
That number rose to 80.2 per 100,000 in 2021.
Within the five months of operation its first year, the rate dropped to 53.3.
"Acting as a vital doorway to our care system, 97 per cent of clients accessing SHST accessed the harm reduction clinic to connect with treatment services and care. The site has also intervened in 361 overdoses, with only three per cent requiring EMS and no fatalities," the hospital said.
"To date, the SHST has facilitated over 40 direct admissions to withdrawal management services and continues to facilitate the provision of treatment directly onsite."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liberal MP says she's leaving politics over disrespectful dialogue, threats, misogyny
Liberal MP Pam Damoff says she won't run again in the next federal election, saying she has experienced misogyny, disrespectful dialogue in politics and threats to her life.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Ont. woman who faked pregnancy to defraud doulas arrested again on similar charges
Victims of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was sentenced to house arrest earlier this year for defrauding and deceiving doulas say they’re not surprised she’s been apprehended again on similar charges.
Eating disorders among youth skyrocketed during pandemic and so did associated costs, report finds
The number of young people experiencing eating disorders surged during the height of the pandemic as the social and economic costs skyrocketed too, a new pan-Canadian report has found.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.