The operator of Timmins' supervised consumption site is changing hands, though the hospital is still quiet on the cost of its involvement with the facility this year.
Timmins and District Hospital (TADH) has announced that it is transitioning the operations of Safe Health Site Timmins (SHST) to the Canadian Mental Health Association Cochrane-Timiskaming (CMHA-CT). The hours at the site have also been reduced.
In the coming months, the hospital says that the site will go from an urgent public health needs site (UPHNS) exemption operated by the hospital to a consumption treatment services exemption operated by CMHA-CT.
"This extension is made possible through new and existing funding sources that support those in our community living with substance use disorders. Additionally, funding has been identified through CMHA-CT to temporarily subsidize SHST operating costs," reads the TADH news release, which does not clarify how long the facility could be subsidized.
The facility is still open seven days a week, though it has shorter opening hours now.
It is now open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., whereas it used to be open for 12 hours a day.
In the first three quarters of 2023, the Ontario coroner's data shows Timmins had the fifth-highest mortality rate in the province with 16 opioid toxicity deaths, or 50.7 deaths per 100,000 people. This number is for Timmins specifically and not the entire Porcupine Health Unit area, which saw a total of 23 deaths during the first three quarters. In all of Ontario during that time, the provincial rate was 17.5 deaths per 100,000 population — or a total of 1,947 opioid toxicity deaths.
Without permanent provincial funding, SHST was slated to close on March 31.
While the hospital confirmed on April 1 that the site did not close, today's announcement is the first time that the facility has sent out communication on the changes.
The announcement does not include any financial information. TADH has not fulfilled multiple interview requests or provided responses to emailed questions yet. This story will be updated if more information is received.
SHST is a place for people to use previously obtained drugs in the presence of trained medical staff and connect to services.
Since opening in July 2022, the hospital says over 1,500 people have visited over 38,000 times.
The local CMHA has long been part of the publicly known plans for SHST.
The organization was slated to take over the operations once permanent funding from the province was approved.
So far it's been funded by the City of Timmins — from July 2022 to Dec. 31, 2023 — and TADH from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2024.
Last year, SHST received approval for a permanent facility from Health Canada, which allowed it to apply to the province for funding.
Right after receiving the federal nod, Ontario paused all new funding applications for safe consumption sites to allow for a review of the facilities after a woman was hit by a stray bullet and killed outside of a Toronto site. That review has not been completed yet.
The last week of March, the hospital called SHST staff, who had previously been told that it was closing, to ask if they wanted to stay on.
Supporters of the site have protested twice outside of Timmins MPP George Pirie's office to demand provincial action to keep SHST and other safe consumption sites across the province open.
The demonstrations were a follow-up to Canadian Drug Policy Coalition's (CDPC) open letter to Ontario's Minister of Health Sylvia Jones and Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Michael Tibollo. It has eight calls to action, including emergency funding for safe consumption sites that have applied for provincial cash and are going to close or have closed due to lack of funds.
In 2020, a funding proposal for a comprehensive treatment centre — Timmins Wellness Centre — was submitted to Ontario Health. TADH says that proposal was resubmitted in December 2023.
