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HARM REDUCTION – Consumption & Treatment Service (CTS)

Consumption & Treatment Service

The CTS provides supervised injection services to address the opioid crisis. It offers integrated, wrap-around services that connect clients who use drugs to primary care, treatment, and other health and social services.

This program offers a safe environment, along with counselling, referral services and harm reduction education & supplies as well as immediate support in the event of an overdose.

In this space, clients are provided with sterile injection supplies, education, overdose prevention and intervention and nursing staff, among other services and referrals. 

Social Navigators connect clients with housing and employment supports, as well as addictions & mental health counselling.

Benefits:

  • Reduces the number of drug overdoses through safe injection education
  • Reduces risk factors that lead to infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis 
  • Reduces strain on Emergency Departments, which reduces cost of health care service
  • Enables access and increases the use of detox & drug treatment services
  • Connection to other health and social services
  • Provides safe injection sites
  • Provides education about opioid tolerance & risks of overdosing.
  • Reduces the number of needles discarded in public

CTS Hours:
Monday: 10:30am – 10:30pm
Tuesday: 10:30am – 10:30pm
Wednesday: 12:30pm- 10:30pm
Thursday: 10:30am – 10:30pm
Friday: 10:30am – 10:30pm
Saturday: 4:00pm – 10:30pm
Sunday: 4:00pm – 10:30pm

More information of what we do is published monthly and made available at the link below:

CTS Facts

CTS OPEN HOUSE

Visit our Consumption and Treatment Services for an Open House tour. These occur every 2nd Wednesday of the Month between 10:30am – 11:30am.  Tours are by appointment only.

Please contact us to book an appointment. Telephone : 905-522-3233 Email:  connections@hucchc.com

  • Take a tour
  • Find out about the services
  • Get information on substance use & Have your questions answered
  • Learn about how you can support the CTS

Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) are integrated, wrap-around services that connect clients who use drugs to primary care, treatment, and other health and social services. They operate as lifeguard stations for intravenous drug use. They provide a safe environment, harm reduction supplies and immediate support in the case of an overdose.

 

What is an Opioid overdose?
Opioid drugs affect the part of your brain that controls your breathing. When you take more opioids than your body can handle (overdose), your breathing slows. This can lead to unconsciousness and even death.

What are the signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose?
Recognize the signs and symptoms of an overdose, including:

  • difficulty
    • walking
    • talking
    • staying awake
  • blue or grey lips or nails
  • very small pupils
  • cold and clammy skin
  • dizziness and confusion
  • extreme drowsiness
  • choking, gurgling or snoring sounds
  • slow, weak or no breathing
  • inability to wake up, even when shaken or shouted at

How to reduce the risk
If you use opioids, you can reduce your risk of overdose or death by:

  • not using alone
  • knowing your tolerance (how much you can take)
  • having a naloxone kit available, and knowing how to use it
  • using a small amount of an opioid first to check the strength.
  • not taking opioids with alcohol or other drugs (unless prescribed by your doctor)

How does naloxone work?
Naloxone (pronounced na-LOX-own) is a fast-acting drug used to temporarily reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.
Naloxone can restore breathing within 2 to 5 minutes. When you take an opioid, it affects certain receptors in your brain. Naloxone works by kicking opioids off the receptors in your brain and binding to those receptors instead. This reverses or blocks the effects of opioids on your body.
Naloxone only works if you have opioids in your system, such as:

  • fentanyl
  • heroin
  • morphine
  • codeine

Source; https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/opioids/naloxone.html

 

What are Consumption and Treatment Services?

  • They are a lifeguard stations for drug use.
  • They are a safe, hygienic environment for people to consume pre-obtained drugs under the supervision of trained and qualified staff in the case of an overdose.
  • They provide sterile injection supplies, education, overdose prevention and intervention, nursing staff, among other services & referrals. The Consumption and Treatment Service connects our clients to social navigators, housing supports, employment supports, as well as, addictions counselling & mental health counselling.
  • The Consumption and Treatment Service provides low barrier, lifesaving service to address the opioid crisis which has affected the Hamilton area quite rapidly.

What are the benefits of a CTS?

  • Reduces the number of drug overdoses.
  • Reduces the risk factors leading to infectious diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis, educating.
    clients to safe practices, and provide sharps bins containers.
  • Reduces the strain on Emergency Departments, thus reducing the cost of health care services.
  • Enables access to & increasing the use of detox & drug treatment services.
  • Connects people with other health & social services.
  • Provides safe sites to inject.
  • Provides education about opioid tolerance & risk of overdosing.
  • Reduces the number of carelessly discarded needles from public spaces.
  • Used needles are routinely collected by staff in the surrounding area.

Do crime rates increase around a CTS?

Based on peer-reviewed empirical research, there has been no evidence linking the presence of Consumption & Treatments Services and increased criminal activity in the surrounding areas.
-Source: Livingston, J.D. Supervised consumption sites and crime: scrutinizing the methodological weaknesses and aberrant results of a government report in Alberta, Canada. Harm Reduction J 18, 4 (2021).

 

Consumption and Treatment Service Harm Reduction Supplies

The Hamilton Urban Core CHC keeps a wide variety of harm reduction supplies in stock in Consumption and Treatment Service. All harm reduction supplies are provided at no cost, and no health card is required to access this service. All our services are confidential.
Harm reduction supplies we carry:
• Naloxone kits (intramuscular injection and nasal spray)
• Naloxone dose refills
• Biohazard disposal units (small medium and large)

Injection Gear:
1CC Syringes, 28g ‘longs’
• 10 pack
• Individual
1CC Syringes, 30g ‘shorts’
• 10 pack
• Individual
3ml syringe barrels
• 10 pack
• Individual

 

Needle Tips (box of 100, strip of 5):
Sizes:
• 16 1 ½
• 18 1
• 18 1 ½
• 22 1
• 22 1 ½
• 23 1
• 23 1 ½
• 25 1
• 25 1 ½
• 26 ½
• 27 ½
• 30 ½
Sterile Water
• Box of 100
• Individual
Alcohol Swabs
• Box of 200
• Strip of 2
Sterile Cotton Filters
• Strip of 5
100 mg Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
• Strip of 5
Single-Use sterile spoons / cookers
• Packs/strips of 5 or individual (Brand dependent)
• Pack of 50
Tourniquets / Ties
• Individual
Safer Sex Supplies:
• External condoms (single, box of 140)
• Regular, lubricated
• Large
• Flavoured
• Latex Free
• Internal Condoms (single)
• Personal Lubricant (single)
• Dental dams (single)
Inhalation:
Clear vinyl mouth guards
• Individual
Push sticks
• Individual
Glass stem pipe
• Individual
• Pack of ten
Glass bulb pipes
• Individual

Brass screens
• Pack of 5
One use foil
• Pack of 24
Safer Snorting
• short straws
Kits:
Meth Kit (contains 1 bulb pipe, 2 mouthpieces, 6 alcohol swabs)
Crack Kit (contains 2 stem pipes, 4 mouthpieces, 2 push sticks, 6 alcohol swabs)
2 Hit Kit – Long (contains 2 long 1cc 28g syringes, 2 ties, 2 vitamin C packs, 2 sterile water, 2 cookers, 2 alcohol swabs) *10 Hit Kits are also available.

2 Hit Kit – Short (contains 2 short 1cc 30g syringes, 2 ties, 2 vitamin C packs, 2 sterile water, 2 cookers, 2 alcohol swabs) *10 Hit Kits are also available.