BACKGROUND
Overview
- SafePoint has been open since April 26th, 2023, serving clients 7 days per week between the hours of 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
- In order to ensure transparency related to SafePoint operations, the Board of Health is provided with regular updates.
Application Status
- As of December 2023, the WECHU’s pending application to the province to fund SafePoint as a Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site remains on-hold.
- As no timeline has been provided for the removal of the hold on the WECHU’s application, operations at SafePoint will be paused effective January 1st of 2024.
CURRENT INITIATIVES
Operational Data
It has been seven months since SafePoint opened on April 26th and there has been a total of 1042 client visits and 217 unique clients to date, with 3 overdoses reported and treated on-site. Additional details about the services provided at SafePoint during the month of November are presented in Tables 1-4.
|
Total Unique Clients: 35 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Demographic |
Number of Unique Clients |
|
|
Age |
Under 25 |
5 |
|
|
25-64 |
30 |
|
|
65+ |
0 |
|
Gender |
Male |
21 |
|
|
Female |
14 |
| Gender not listed | 0 | |
|
Race |
White |
29 |
| Indigenous | 2 | |
|
|
Black, African, or Caribbean |
3 |
| Race not listed | 1 | |
|
Total Number of Client Visits: 183 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Indicator |
Number of Visits |
|
|
Visit by Time of Day |
10:00 – 11:59 a.m. |
54 |
|
|
12:00 – 2:59 p.m. |
55 |
|
|
3:00 – 6:00 p.m. |
74 |
|
Type of Visit |
Consumption |
93 |
| Other | 90 | |
|
Consumption Visits Reported |
Crystal methamphetamine |
30 |
| Morphine | 3 | |
| Dilaudid | 3 | |
| Fentanyl | 32 | |
| Ritalin | 18 | |
| Speedball Crystal/Fentanyl | 7 | |
|
Consumption Visits by Method of Consumption |
Injection |
92 |
| Intranasal | 2 | |
| Oral | 0 | |
|
Total Number of Client Visits: 183 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Indicator |
Number of Times Service Offered |
||
|
Drug Checking |
On-site fentanyl drug checking |
3 |
|
|
Basic Care |
First aid |
17 |
|
| Wound/abscess | 40 | ||
| Foot care | 2 | ||
|
Wraparound Services |
|
On-site |
Referral |
|
|
Addictions treatment |
0 |
3 |
|
|
Mental health |
0 |
6 |
|
|
Primary care |
33 |
17 |
| Social services | 163 | 7 | |
|
Total Number of Overdoses: 3 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Indicator |
Number of Overdoses |
|
|
Overdoses Treated On-Site |
3 |
|
|
Overdose Treatments Used |
Naloxone Only |
0 |
| Oxygen Stimulation Only | 2 | |
| Naloxone and Oxygen/Stimulation | 1 | |
|
0 |
||
|
Overdoses Where 9-1-1 Was Called |
1 |
|
|
Overdoses That Resulted in a Transport to the Emergency Department for Treatment |
0 |
|
Client Experience Narrative
Beyond the number of client visits recorded in the month of November, SafePoint continues to demonstrate that the services being offered are having a positive impact on clients, as highlighted through the following client experience narrative:
Anonymous Client
A client was dropped off at SafePoint by their friends for wound care services. The client did not want to use other health services because of percieved poor treatment in the past. The friend did not return to pick up the client, so staff arranged for a taxi to bring the client back to a local shelter.
NEXT STEPS AND FUTURE INITIATIVES
- The WECHU is collaborating with its community partners to prepare for the service disruption, aiming to minimize impacts on clients as effectively as possible.
- SafePoint services will continue to be available daily from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., up until December 31st at 6:00 p.m. During this period, SafePoint staff will be meeting with clients to create plans for their care while services are paused and to support connections to other community agencies as needed.
- The SafePoint Advisory Committee has also prepared a mitigation plan for the pause in services, which identifies several strategies that will be implemented to support clients during this period of transition. The mitigation plans will be shared with the community to ensure that clients, partners, and other affected stakeholders are aware of the strategies and supports in place.
- While services are paused, the WECHU will continue to communicate updates about SafePoint to the community as new information becomes available. To stay informed, community members can subscribe to receive email updates at www.wecoss.ca/cts. The SafePoint website will remain up-to- date with current information and the online feedback form and SafePoint email (CTSQuestions@wechu.org) will continue to be monitored by the WECHU to address questions and concerns from the community.