By: Lucy Lau, Senior Communications Specialist, Michael Garron Hospital
Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) has launched a new Women's Withdrawal Management Services facility at 989 Danforth Ave.
The facility is the first of its kind in East Toronto and will enhance MGH's capacity to support women-identifying individuals with mental health and substance use concerns.
Previously, there were no dedicated women's withdrawal management services beds available between the city of Oshawa and Bathurst Street.
The site provides a compassionate and culturally competent space for healing and respite for individuals aged 16 and older who identify as women, non-binary, two-spirit and trans, and who are in an acute state of intoxication or withdrawal from alcohol and/or other substances.
“Having more dedicated women's withdrawal management beds means more women have a place where they can feel safe and supported in their journey and are equipped with the tools they need for long-term success," says Gail Teabo, a former client of withdrawal management services in Toronto.
“It makes all the difference when it comes to taking that first step to recovery."
MGH's Women's Withdrawal Management Services is part of the hospital's Withdrawal Management Program, which takes a comprehensive approach to supporting people who use substances.
Addressing Toronto's rapidly growing opioid crisis and Emergency Department pressures
This service is especially important given the ongoing opioid crisis, which saw 511 opioid-related deaths in Toronto in 2021. This represents a 74% increase from 2019 and a 273% increase from 2015.
City data also indicates that, in fall 2021, there were 3,947 opioid-related visits to hospital emergency departments in Toronto – the highest number recorded since 2017.
MGH's Women's Withdrawal Management Services has the capacity to support referrals from hospital emergency departments across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), which are experiencing pressures related to staffing and an increase in patient volumes.
The facility is open 24/7 to individuals who self-refer or who are referred by a clinician or member of the community.
Referrals are accepted every day from 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. through Central Access for Addiction Services Toronto at 1-866-366-9513. Referrals may also come from MGH's Emergency Department.
Trauma-informed, gender-transformative services available
MGH's Women's Withdrawal Management Services offers six crisis (short-term) beds; 10 house program (longer stay) beds; psychosocial and stabilization support for those experiencing a substance use-related crisis; and connections to other community resources such as housing, harm reduction services and community case management.
The facility is staffed by an interprofessional team of healthcare providers from MGH that includes nurses, withdrawal management counsellors and social workers, many of whom identify as women.
The Neighbourhood Group Community Services (TNG) provides case management support to clients during their stay as well as time-limited transition support after the client is discharged.
MGH Women's Withdrawal Management Services also provides culturally safe treatment for women-identifying clients who are First Nations, Inuit and Métis through partnerships with Indigenous organizations such as Mdewgaan Lodge, operated by Native Child and Family Services of Toronto, and Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society.
“As we continue to navigate the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and the opioid crisis, Michael Garron Hospital is thrilled to work with partners to offer dedicated women's withdrawal management services in East Toronto," says Mark Fam, Vice President, Clinical Programs at MGH.
Expanding number of women's beds in health system
MGH's new Women's Withdrawal Management Services emerged from a need in the GTA for more dedicated supports for women-identifying individuals seeking withdrawal management services.
The site is part of a larger plan, funded by Ontario Health, to expand the number of dedicated women's withdrawal management services beds in the GTA following the transition of University Health Network's (UHN) Women's Own Withdrawal Management Centre to MGH and Unity Health Toronto (Unity) in October 2021.
With this program transition, MGH operates one facility with 16 beds and Unity continues to operate one facility with 21 beds. This increases the overall number of women's beds in the system from 22 to 37.
Women who need access to withdrawal management services in the GTA will greatly benefit from these additional beds and the geographic expansion to two separate sites.