TORONTO, ON (April 4, 2022) – Today, Casey House launched outpatient supervised consumption services (SCS), providing a second safe space for clients to use their own drugs while being monitored by trained staff who can provide emergency medical care in case of overdose.

A specialty hospital for people living with and at risk of HIV, Casey House is the first hospital in Ontario and third in Canada to offer on-site supervised consumption as part of its health care.

Expanding access to supervised consumption is critical, given the increasingly toxic supply of unregulated drugs and the growing risk of overdose, which has killed more than 24,000 people in Canada since 2016. Drug testing and supervision at an SCS substantially reduce the risk of overdose and death, and increase access to sterile equipment, education on safer use, and health and social services.

“You don’t have to be a harm reduction expert to understand this is an essential health service,” says Jennifer A. Dewling, Principal at Genova Private Management and chair of Casey House’s board of directors. “This new initiative represents an expansion of our overall holistic approach to health care and harm reduction.”

Casey House’s SCS are open to registered clients 24 hours a day for the inpatient unit and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. for outpatients, and are an extension of its regular health services. Clients can inject, snort or eat their pre-obtained substances at private consumption booths at two supervised locations. Because of the alarming overdose risk from smoking unregulated drugs, more than a third of Ontario overdose deaths in 2020 were attributed to inhaling substances, we built one booth to allow for safer inhalation and are working towards offering this service.

Substance use is frequently a coping mechanism for a myriad of challenges such as trauma and poverty that compound and create barriers to having basic needs met. Barriers faced by people who use drugs prevent them from getting equitable access to health care, which Casey House believes everyone deserves.

“Hospital-based supervised drug use and overdose prevention is something Casey House feels people should be entitled to as part of overall health care. Being able to safely use substances while on-site keeps people connected to health care,” says Dr. Ed Kucharski, chief medical officer at Casey House. “Drug consumption is a key component in understanding and managing someone’s health, and needs to be considered in our clients’ care plans.”

Casey House, known for more than 30 years for expertise in caring for people living with HIV, has recently started also serving those at high risk of HIV. This includes people excluded from traditional care systems, such as people who use drugs.

“Our hospital’s ongoing harm reduction work mirrors and supports the work we do with members of the community who frequently experience barriers to safe living, whether because of stigma, precarious housing, or access to health care,” says Joanne Simons, Casey House CEO.

Simons credits the tremendous work of the harm reduction community across the country, who laid the groundwork over many years for hospital-based supervised consumption to become a reality.

Funding for this new initiative was entirely provided by Casey House donors.

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Casey House is unlike any other hospital. We are a specialty hospital in Toronto providing ground-breaking care to people living with and at risk of HIV. Together with our clients, staff, peers and volunteers, we strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels safe. We offer a growing mix of inpatient, outpatient and community-based services that meet clients where they are in their individual journeys of health and wellness. Building on a legacy of advocacy and social justice, we actively dismantle barriers to care and safe living. We provide a community and sense of belonging that connects people to care. The humanity of each client is at the heart of everything we do.

 

See where and how Casey House offers its hospital-based SCS in a short video here.

To book an interview with Casey House chief executive officer Joanne Simons, or for more information, contact:
Cole Douglas
Narrative on behalf of Casey House
Cole.douglas@narrative.ca
416.460.5480

Resources
WHYSCS: Information about supervised consumption services in Canada https://www.whyscs.ca/
Casey House website https://caseyhouse.ca/
Changing circumstances surrounding opioid-related deaths in Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/c/2021/changing-circumstances-surrounding-opioid-related-deaths.pdf?sc_lang=en

In celebration of the 12 days of Casey House Christmas

1st day: One new website. This summer, Casey House launched caseyhouse.ca, an easy to navigate, informative hub with a more contemporary design. Explore caseyhouse.ca today.

2nd day: Two doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Our pharmacist and nurses have been providing clients with COVID-19 vaccines at Casey House, helping increase access to this vital health service.

3rd day: Three new position statements on harm reduction. Improving health care and outcomes for people who use drugs requires judgment-free, culturally-sensitive and trauma-informed care; increased access to a diverse range of harm reduction services and supports; and progressive drug policy that promotes the health, dignity and human rights of people who use drugs. Read the statements here

5th day: Top five health charities. Casey House was proud to be listed among Charity Intelligence Canada‘s top five health charities and top 100 charities in Canada. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gbf9geq

6th day: Six recipients of The Casey Awards. The awards recognize leadership in HIV/AIDS and social justice. Read the tributes to Bob Leahy, Sean Hosein, Alphonso King Jr., Gregory Robinson, Prairie Harm Reduction, and Martha McCain.

7th day: Seven days a week of inpatient care. Casey House offers inpatient clients 24-hour care by doctors, nurses and allied health care professionals, including social work services, mental health support and supervised consumption services.

8th day: Eight days left to qualify for a 2021 tax receipt. Give generously before year-end and your donation will qualify for a 2021 charitable receipt. Donate now

9th day: Nine medical students are doing a community-based learning student placement at Casey House, learning about our philosophy of engaging compassion to deliver our holistic approach to health care.

10th day: Ten weeks until June’s HIV+ Eatery. We’re smashing stigma again in March with three nights of delicious food made with the help of a team of HIV+ chefs. Get a taste of June’s here.

11th day: Eleven dimensions in our new Multipurpose Resilience Assessment & Evaluation Tool. This custom client inquiry guide enables clinical staff to assess resilience in diverse aspects of an individual’s life such as Access to health care, Impacts of substance use, and Food access & nutrition, which helps them create holistic care plans for each individual.

12th day: Clients grew more than 12 varieties of plants in the Love Family Healing Garden on our rooftop as part of the day health program garden group which supports multiple aspects of mental health, including: carrots, bok choy, sweet pea, zucchini, cucumber, melon, peas, beans, corn, ground cherries and herbs. The produce is incorporated into meals by the kitchen crew, and also sent home with delighted clients, helping address food insecurity

Canada votes on Monday, September 20, 2021! In addition to voting, you have an opportunity to raise issues you care about with all candidates vying for a seat in parliament. To help you engage with political hopefuls in your community, Casey House is sharing five questions to ask any candidate about issues related to HIV, harm reduction, and compassionate, socially-just health care.

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1. Canada’s blood donation policy continues to exclude the 2SGBTQ/MSM community

In order to donate blood in Canada, men who have sex with men must be abstinent for three months before donating. As Casey House’s chief medical officer Dr. Ed Kucharski explains, “This thinking is not only outdated and discriminatory, it ignores science. The current evidence makes it clear why 2SGBTQ/MSM should be eligible to donate blood in Canada”. While Canadian Blood Services intends to recommend this policy change by the end of the year, the federal government can and must act sooner.

Question for candidates: Will your party mandate Health Canada to immediately end Canada’s discriminatory blood donation policy?

2. HIV continues to be highly stigmatized in Canada

One in five people living with HIV are denied health services because of stigma and discrimination. This affects people’s willingness to be tested and then to seek treatment and support, and fuels misinformation about HIV and the impact it has on those who live with it. Speaking up against HIV stigma makes a difference, and we need more people to know the facts, correct misinformation, and use language that empowers people living with HIV.

Question for Candidates: How will you correct misinformation and insist on language that empowers people living with HIV?

3. Canada’s overdose epidemic is a national crisis

More than 21,000 Canadians have died of overdose since 2016 due to the toxic drug supply. Providing access to harm reduction services (such as safer drug use and consumption services) and a safer supply of regulated drugs, as part of comprehensive mental health and addictions care, is essential to reduce the risks of drug use, save lives, and improve health care for people who use drugs.

Question for Candidates: What will your party do to ensure that harm reduction services and safer supply programs are more available, as part of mental health and addictions care?

4. Racialized communities are disproportionately impacted by HIV infection rates

Systemic barriers to health equity and access to health care mean that disparities exist in HIV diagnoses and outcomes. In 2019, almost half of new HIV infections were among Black people (25.5%) and Indigenous peoples (24.7%), despite these communities accounting for a much smaller percentage of the country’s overall population.

Question for candidates: How will your government formally acknowledge and address racial inequality in health care, and address disproportionate rates of HIV in Black, Indigenous and racialized communities?

5. Canada’s fight against HIV is chronically underfunded

Since 2003, community-based programs that connect people living with, or at risk of, HIV to vital services have been underfunded, to the tune of more than $123 million in commitments that were never delivered. As a result, many organizations have closed or discontinued programs. With 62,050 Canadians living with HIV and 2,122 new HIV diagnoses reported in 2018, Canada’s HIV response needs to be adequately funded. On World AIDS Day 2020 Senator René Cormier introduced a motion that called on the federal government to increase HIV-specific funding to $100 million annually.

Question for candidates: How will your government apply the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to deepen the federal government’s investment in the HIV epidemic and reduce new HIV infections?

Every Canadian citizen has the right to vote. When you exercise this right, you help choose who represents you in government.

Are you registered to vote?

If you’re not already registered (or if you’re unsure and need to check), use Elections Canada’s Online Voter Registration Service OR visit any Elections Canada office by Tuesday September 14, 6:00 p.m. If you’re a newcomer to Canada, learn more at settlement.org.

Do you know who is running in your riding?

Visit elections.ca and type your postal code into the Voter Information Service box for information about your riding.

Learn about the many ways to vote, including accessible voting options for people with disabilities.

Use Your Voice: Five questions for federal candidates on inclusive health care

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In anticipation of increased demand due to COVID-19, Ontario hospitals were asked to consider how they could help expand capacity. In response, Casey House is admitting patients in need of sub-acute and palliative care from other hospitals and temporarily expanding.

In addition to offering space in our 14-room inpatient unit, we are reconfiguring the dining room and first floor of the heritage house to make room for 17 additional beds, ensuring each area enables us to replicate the compassionate and expert care for which we are known.

While keeping true to our mandate of specialty care for those with HIV, during this time Casey House is admitting patients who are HIV negative to support our community and allow other hospitals to cope with the anticipated surge caused by COVID-19.

In keeping with our history, we are responding to the pandemic just as we did in the ‘80s when Casey House began, filling a gap when we see one. And, while Casey House is pleased to be part of the solution, ideally these additional beds are never filled because Ontario manages to control the surge and additional hospital capacity is not needed.

Although on-site day health programming is suspended because of the pandemic, we continue to actively support clients in the community with food deliveries and telephone calls. The day health program remains a priority, because supporting people residing outside of hospital keeps people out of hospital.

To reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection for clients and staff our facility remains closed to all but essential staff and inpatient clients.