General News

CMHA application for consumption and treatment services moving forward slowly

July 10, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

Two separate applications were submitted to create a Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) location in Barrie to help prevent overdose deaths and help connect people who use drugs to other health and social services they may have difficulty accessing.

Applications were submitted by the Canadian Mental Health Association Simcoe County Branch to Health Canada at the federal level and to the Ministry of Health at the provincial level.

As of June 2023, it has been 20 months since the application was submitted, and the CMHA is still awaiting approval of the operation application and operating budget by the Ministry of Health. There are still outstanding provincial application approvals and significant renovation to accomplish before a site can be established in Barrie.

Federal and provincial governments have different requirements for approval.

At the provincial level, there must be a proven need, it must have municipal endorsement, there must be a full public consultation, and there must be federal approval.

At the federal level, to be considered are the impact of the site on crime rates, the local conditions indicating a need for the site, the administrative structure in place to support the site, and the resources available to support the maintenance of the site.

Deaths due to opioid poisoning in the City of Barrie remain about double what was observed prior to the pandemic, with 60 opioid-related deaths in 2022, which is also double the provincial average.

In New Tecumseth, the rate of opioid-confirmed or probable related deaths is much lower, with only four recorded last year.

The higher number of overdose deaths in Barrie could be, in part, due to its location, off the 400 highway corridor. Towns closer to the highway have higher rates of deaths due to the proximity of trafficking routes.

“We don’t have a lot of the services available in Barrie that other places do have,” explained Cathy Eisener, public health nurse with SMDHU on the substance use and prevention team with a focus on harm reduction. “We don’t have a consumption and treatment services site in Barrie, which would allow people to use their substances under the supervision of health care providers – they could be more educated about what they are using, so when using outside of the site they would have that knowledge and could be taking different precautions. This [not having a site] doesn’t allow for those relationships that could be built – you’re seeing the same people all the time so you are building a relationship that provides a safety net so when they’re ready to ask for other kinds of support, whether those supports mean housing, or they asking about counselling or treatment, they feel safe to ask about those things, and those connections can be immediately made.”

A Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) location differs from a methadone clinic, which Alliston has.

“The methadone clinic is a treatment,” Ms. Eisener explained. “Methadone is a treatment option for folks who use substances. Not everyone is going to be ready for treatment or looking for treatment, or in that part of their journey where treatment is something that is attainable for them. A CTS is more of a harm reduction strategy that will keep people as safe as possible.”

The opioid crisis is having a huge impact on society.

“Whenever we are talking about any of this, we talking about people who have been profoundly impacted by the toxic nature of these drugs,” Ms. Eisener said. “These people who are dying or suffering overdoses, have lasting impact. They have family and friends and community, and everyone is being impacted.”

Readers Comments (0)