Stellar Work at SCS

“You can’t quite imagine what it’s like…

until you’ve been here.” That’s what Ginger Whittal, Manager of the Supervised Consumption Services program has found as staff join the SCS team.  “After a few days on the job,” she adds, “most staff have a whole different perspective.”

Early this year, SCS changed from a weekend/evening service to a 24/7 service. Over 30 staff, half medical (nurses and paramedics) and half support, make the service possible. They work in teams of 4 per shift, half medical and half support staff. Over the past 6 months, SCS added outreach 7 days a week with 4 full-time recovery coaches and 3 casuals who support the clients and the SCS site.

The pace and intensity of work at SCS shows in the most recent monthly report. Staff supported 2385 visits or an average of about 80 per day. During that month, staff responded to 20 outside overdoses and 78 internal overdoses. The individual visits are just part of the SCS story. Another important dimension is recovery and wellness support. In that month, the Recovery Coach team carried a caseload of 23 people, completed 8 referrals and supported 68 warm hand offs to other services.

SCS services continue to evolve to support individual’s success. When someone steps out of a support system that involved drug use, they may be isolated. This fall, staff noticed that individuals who were no longer injecting came back regularly just to say hello. The SCS started a weekly drop in program so individuals could visit and, over coffee and donuts, the Recovery Coach team could help attendees navigate their new lives.

And that help goes beyond the SCS site. The Outreach Team collaborates with other community services from hospitals to Addiction Recovery and Community Health Teams to bridge housing programs as they work with individuals to meet their recovery and wellness goals.

The pace is intense, and the experiences can be distressing. However, Ginger says she literally feels like she is “living the dream” by being part of the vital work done 24/7 at the SCS.