GUELPH – The local health unit has been working with area partners as the Consumption and Treatment Site (CTS) in Guelph closed on March 31 and the Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub (HART) opened on April 1 as directed by the province.
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health’s (WDGPH) manager of clinical services Camille Loucks outlined the transition in her report to the board of health on June 4.
Loucks said community partners include the City of Guelph, Royal City Mission, the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy, Stonehenge, Homewood, Wyndham House and the Guelph Public Library.
CTS sites took a harm reduction approach, providing supervised injection services; medical assessments; foot and wound care; HIV, Hepatitis C and STI screening and care; and health education.
They were also places for support and referrals to addiction treatment, primary care, mental health care and other community resources.
Those who used the facility also found quiet spaces to rest and connect with other members of the community, Loucks said.
The Guelph CTS was located in the Guelph Community Health Centre (GCHC).
HART hubs focus on referring people to treatment centres, primary care, social services, mental health care and housing.
They also offer mental health and addiction crisis services, crisis stabilizations beds and supported withdrawal management beds.
“The GCHC model has a greater focus on crisis services rather than primary care,” Loucks wrote in her report.
She added a new HART hub in Dufferin County is expected to open later this year.
“We provided planning support and helped develop mitigation plans,” Loucks said at the meeting, “and we expanded harm reduction services and supplies.”
Public health is now providing Naloxone to the Guelph Public Library – the second public library in the province to be approved by the Ministry of Health to distribute naloxone – and has set up needle drop kiosks at 10 sites in the city and one site in Arthur.
It already offered bi-monthly clinic hours at the Royal City Mission in downtown Guelph.
Now it’s offering weekly clinics providing harm reduction supplies, naloxone distribution and drug testing strips.
The clinic also provides wound care support, HIV, Hepatitis C and STI screening, and immunizations.
The agency is also collecting data to assess the impact of the CTS closures, which will be shared amongst the partners for future planning.
“The CTS at the GCHC provided much more than a site for accessing harm reduction supplies or for seeking medical care or for the injection of substances,” Loucks states in her report.
“The CTS was a meeting place that provided support and kindness to some of the most marginalized individuals in our community.
“With the closure of the CTS, there is a feeling of significant loss by the individuals who accessed services and care at the CTS.”
Loucks goes on to say HART hubs will eventually fill some of the gaps, but the closure of the CTS is a personal loss for many.
“Understanding that the closure is a significant loss for the many individuals of our community who accessed care and compassion at the CTS will help us better understand each other and help the community move forward in a positive manner,” she concludes her report.
