If you’re curious about the overdose prevention site on Simpson Street, you can tour the facility this afternoon.
The safe injection site PATH525 in the NorWest Community Health Centres is holding an open house from noon until two o’clock.
Supervisor Brad King said they want the community to learn about their services and how they help people.
“For example, we’ve had 23 overdoses so far, all of which have been managed in-house. Nobody has died at the site, and we’ve had zero ambulance calls,” King pointed out, adding that also saves the healthcare system money.
King said there are a lot of misconceptions about these type of sites.
“You hear all types of things online, and things that people say just in passing about, I think, harm reduction in general. There’s a lot of myths around it, and that’s really what we’re hoping to combat,” he explained.
January was their busiest month so far with over 500 visits, double their figures over the past six months. Many of those were clients who had already used their services before, which King said includes people who have quit using drugs and then relapsed.
King explained staff are non-judgmental, which is meant to keep clients from feeling ashamed. If people are comfortable coming back to the site where they have access to medical help, “We can just pick up with their plans for treatment or detox or what-have-you when they’re ready,” King noted.
The site has been operating since late 2018 and is now open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday to Saturday. Starting next Sunday, PATH525 will be open seven days per week.
