Demand unexpectedly high at year-old supervised injection trailer

One year after Shepherds of Good of Hope opened a trailer for supervised injections nearthe ByWard Market, staff say they are accepting twice as many clients as they predicted.

Medical professionals staff the trailer located in the Shepherds of Good Hope's parking lot on King Edward Avenue near Murray Street to provide clean injection equipment and supervise clients as they ingestthe drugs, all in an effort to reduce the risk of overdosing.

They're also equipped withNarcan, which contains naloxone, anopioidoverdose antidote.

Louise Beaudoin, a nurse co-ordinator with Shepherds of Good Hope,said illicit streetdrugs have only become more dangerous since they opened the trailer.

"Last year when we had overdoses, we gave two maybe three shots of Narcan. Now we're up to seven shots of Narcanbefore the person actually wakes up. So the drugs are way harder than they used to be," Beaudoin said.

And carfentanil, an opioidchemically similar to fentanylbut far more powerful, is being seen more often, she added.

No deaths in trailer

The trailer serves up to 180 clients perday and sees an average of seven overdoses perday, Beaudoin said, adding that they've been "lucky" no one has died inside.

"We had two taken away that died in hospital, but in the actual trailer we haven't lost touch wood anybody yet because staff are there and respond instantly," she said.

The relationship with neighbours hasn't always been easy, but Beaudoin said they're providing an important service.

"If the trailer wasn't there, people would be using in the parks, parking lots, washrooms, at McDonald's, pretty much anywhere, and people would be dying everywhere," she said.

The recently elected Ontario government has decided thatsupervised drug consumption will remainpart of the province's response to the opioidcrisis.

However, it will require facilities toreapply for accreditation and consult more withcommunities.

Shepherds of Good Hope is planning to submit its application in the coming weeks.

High demand at supervised injection trailer

6 years ago

Duration 1:00

The potency of street drugs is increasing, and staff at the Shepherds of Good Hope supervised injection trailer are regularly respondong to overdoses, according to nurse coordinator Louise Beaudoin.