New report on drug consumption site has Cambridge's regional councillors asking questions
'We can't get them into treatment ... if they're dead,' says Violet Umanetz
A new report is shedding light on the impact a Kitchener consumption and treatment site (CTS) has had on people who use drugs in the community over the course of its first full year in operation.
The highlights include:
- The site saw 5,797 visits from 858 people in 2020.
- There were 188 overdoses at the site, but just one resulted in a call by staff to 911 for help. There were no overdose-related deaths at the site.
- The majority of people who accessed the site, 60 per cent, were between the ages of 20 and 39.
- Most clients, 45 per cent, used crystal meth while 37 per cent used fentanyl. Nearly all, 99 per cent, injected their substance although many said they would like to be able to smoke inside the facility.
The report comes as Cambridge continues a years-long debate over whether a CTS should be set up in the city. City council first put in place a bylaw to prohibit a supervised injection site in the downtown core in 2018.
On Tuesday, all three regional councillors who represent Cambridge had questions about the Kitchener CTS report.
Cambridge Mayor Kathryn McGarry asked staff to explain the process when a person at the site asks for help to get into treatment.
"One of the criticisms I hear often is that this is a consumption site and treatment regards handing out a bunch of brochures as people are walking out the door, too high to really take advantage of that," McGarry said.
Violet Umanetz, the director of harm reduction and overdose prevention services at Sanguen Health Centre and who works in the Kitchener CTS, said for the first year, the focus has really been to build relationships with the people coming in.
She said when people come in, they may be nervous or scared, they want to see how they'll be treated and that, yes, maybe when they leave they take a brochure and it goes into the trash.
"As we build those relationships and as people start to trust that we're on their side — for lack of a better way to put that — we want them to thrive, we want them to be well, we want them to be healthy and achieve whatever goals they have, those conversations become more meaningful and deeper," Umanetz said.
Umanetz said during the pandemic, many of the wraparound services they want to connect people with have either been closed down or operated at a reduced capacity, so it's been even harder to get people into any kind of treatment or support program.
The goal of this past year has been to keep people alive, she said.
"We can't get them into treatment, we can't get their healthcare needs met, if they're dead," she said.
Misinformation an issue: Kiefer
Coun. Karl Kiefer said he was very pleased to see the success of Kitchener CTS but was worried some people didn't truly understand what work was done there.
"The misinformation gets out there. What are we doing, actively, to stop that," he said.
Grace Bermingham, manager of harm reduction for the Region of Waterloo Public Health, said part of combating misinformation about the site is offering reports like the one presented to council this week that show statistics and the work being done.
She said they also want to be transparent and show what the site has been doing and what can be improved.
"We do have plans in place to do a full evaluation in 2022 at the end of the year," she said, noting one had been planned for the end of this year, but as the report would require face-to-face interviews, the evaluation was put on hold during the pandemic.
Treatment can be a slow process
McGarry and Coun. Helen Jowett also asked how quickly people can get from saying they want help to actually getting it.
Jowett noted that taxpayer dollars are used to fund the CTS.
"We have to look at how we're using those funds and yes, I want to keep people alive, but I think we can do better than just keep people alive," Jowett said.
"Where I'm stuck is, how can we improve the quality of life for the constituents that we're supposed to do that for."
Bermingham said they don't have data looking at which clients have successfully gone into treatment although the goal is to have that type of information in the report in 2022.
"What staff aim to do is take advantage of those windows of opportunity with clients when they're ready to have those conversations," she said.
Umanetz also noted the pandemic has created a situation where it's harder to make referrals as treatment services have yet to ramp back up. She said for an individual who uses drugs, it takes, on average, five or six tries to get them to that first appointment.
"It's a slow process because the majority of the people we meet have been through some form of treatment in the past. They have tried to access a service, they have tried to seek some sort of assistance with their substance use or their addiction and that treatment has failed them," Umanetz said.
"Often, they feel that they have failed, but the reality is, that treatment was not what they needed in whatever way it was not ideal for them."
Need for more treatment, faster access
Umanetz said she agreed with Jowett there was more need for treatment options and faster access to those options. But staff at the CTS also understand that the current availability of those services are not easily accessed.
"When you look at the CTS, none of the staff there are operating under any delusions that everything is fantastic and easy peasy and if you want treatment, we'll get that for you next week and it will be successful and that will be great," she said.
"If your long-term goal is to be sober and housed and employed, great, you'll get there, but let's not overwhelm. Let's start with: here's where you can get food today, and then tomorrow let's talk about how to get you vaccinated or getting your dental care or getting whatever that next step is."
