Is there a need for supervised injection sites in Windsor-Essex?
That question is being asked as part of an online survey by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
Anyone over the age of 16 is being asked to fill out the survey.
CEO Theresa Marentette says prevention, education and awareness can go hand-in-hand with a safe injection site.
"This particular strategy is considered a harm reduction strategy and that's under another pillar of the overall strategy for opioids — essentially we know in our community that people are dying from opioid overdoses," says Marentette.
A release from the health unit states this area is facing increased illness and deaths related to the use of opioids and other drugs. Drug-related overdoses, as reported by EMS, increased from 505 in 2016 to 783 in 2017.
Marentette says safe injection sites are essentially care facilities.
"Where people who inject drugs can inject by brining in their pre-obtained elicit drugs, under the supervision of nurses or other healthcare professionals," she says. "At the site, they would be provided with sterile equipment, they'd be provided with information on safer injecting and they would have access to emergency responses in the event of an overdose."
Marentette says the survey is open until December 17th.
"Everyone can give their opinion, give their concerns, have a voice and speak out," she says. Following this survey we hope to continue on with they key informant interviews and once the survey closes we will start to do the analysis and evaluation."
— with files from AM800's Kristylee Varley