Study recommends safe injection site in Hamilton

A new report recommends Hamilton would benefit from one or more supervised safe injection site, preferably within the downtown core.

The Supervised Injection Site Needs Assessment & Feasibility Study was done by Hamilton’s Public Health Services in partnership with McMaster University.

It suggests Hamilton should implement one integrated supervised injection site in the area flanked by Queen Street, Barton Street, Ferguson Ave and Main Street. It says additional sites should be also considered, including a mobile site that could serve areas outside the downtown core like the east end and Hamilton Mountain.

The objectives of supervised injection sites are to reduce the number of fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses; reduce the spread of infectious disease amongst people who inject drugs; connect people who inject drugs with health, social and treatment services; and create a safer community by reducing drug use in public places and discarded needles.

The study’s data was gathered through looking at hard data like infectious disease rates, overdose deaths, and crime data in addition to conducting 10 focus groups, 27 key informant interviews and surveys with 106 people who inject drugs.

It found two thirds of people surveyed reported they had injected in a public or semi-public area such as parks, alleyways or public washrooms. The survey also found 80 per cent of people who inject drugs would access a safe injection site.

In 2016, there were 43 opioid-related accidental deaths in Hamilton—four times higher than 2007.

The full report will be presented at the next Board of Health meeting on Dec. 4.