Northern officials say admission facilities are still needed to keep patients alive and subject them to treatment.
While they welcomed the province’s investment in new treatment centers for homeless people and drug users, officials said other people will be at risk of overdose until those facilities are ready.
More than a year after postponing investment for new supervised admission sites, Queen’s Park this week announced its goal to ban them this fall, as well as ordering the early closure of any site within two hundred yards of a school or daycare.
The Northeast region no longer has intake sites, following the closure of The Spot in Sudbury and Safe Health Site in Timmins.
CTV News had its requests for permanent sites denied.
Instead, the province said it will fund 19 homelessness and addiction remedy centres, which officials say will be helpful, as soon as they open.
“You can’t get a remedy if you’re dead,” said Amber Fritz of Network Access.
“They can’t accommodate you if you’re dead. So I wonder how this thing that’s causing this crisis is going to be solved. “
“They are final before the new ones come into effect,” said NDP health critic France Gelinas.
“What do you think will happen to all those people with health problems?
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The answer, Gelinas says, is that some of them will die.
Fritz said another 77 people in the Sudbury-Manitoulin district died of overdoses between January and July this year.
In Timmins, paramedics say overdoses have increased since July.
While northern officials welcome the province’s investment in new treatment centers for the homeless and drug addicts, officials have said others are at risk of overdose until those facilities are ready. (Photo from video)
“The truth is there was about a 16% increase over the same period compared to last year,” said Seamus Murphy with Cochrane District EMS.
And Murphy said many of the overdoses involved injections, anything Safe Health Site Timmins addresses.
Timmins Mayor Michelle Boxeau said those unrest will intensify.
“The crisis of intellectual aptitude and addictions is going to get worse,” said Boileau.
“And with the relief in services, we can expect things to get worse. “
Boileau said city partners are applying for a wellness centre, making the province’s announcement timely and will be effective in the long term.
Meanwhile, fitness officials cite studies that the province ignored that demonstrate the value of intake sites in preventing deaths and connecting others to services.
“They’re looking to offer remedy to other people who need it, rather than just allowing consumption,” Murphy said.
“What was happening with our secure intake site was that they had access to this long-term treatment. This has been demonstrated. “
“It wasn’t like, you know, move on, do drugs and that’s it,” Fritz added.
“We present comprehensive support. “
Fritz said he hopes the new homeless and drug treatment centers will operate as planned.
Boileau said Timmins could get one until late next year.
Meanwhile, Murphy said paramedics will have to pick up the slack, since they receive drug treatments and can guide patients when they respond to an overdose.
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