Fenway Health recently held a community meeting explaining the uses and benefits of a proposed supervised consumption site in Somerville.

By Luda Tang

The City of Somerville and Fenway Health held a community meeting concerning supervised consumption sites (SCSs) on Wednesday, June 1. Its aim was to inform Somerville residents on what a supervised consumption site is and how it could help with the fatal drug overdose situation in the community.

The event was hosted by Carl Sciortino, from Fenway Health, an organization that is missioned in serving the LGBTQ+ communities and other underserved communities, including people who use drugs. Since January, Fenway Health has served as the advisory committee to explore how supervised consumption sites can work in Somerville.

According to Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, the rates of drug overdoses in Somerville deserve the community’s attention. “We lose anywhere from 15 to 20 people to fatal overdoses every year,” the mayor said during the meeting. Based on a needs assessment and feasibility study in 2021, Matthew Mitchell, the Director of Prevention Services, also pointed out that Somerville overdose rates increased 5 percent between 2012 and 2018.

Moreover, even though Prevention Services launched and developed various activities on preventing drug overdoses, “the 2021 data from the state shows there were still 14 individuals in 2020 and at least four from the past month passed away from the overdose,” Mitchell said.

The establishment of SCSs might be a solution for Mayor Ballantyne’s new vision of comprehensive services, public health solutions, and a future with zero fatal overdoses.

Miriam Harris, the Assistant Professor at Boston University School of Medicine, and an addiction expert at the Boston Medical Center, conducted the introduction of the SCSs’ function. She first explained the concept of harm reduction, whose practice has been applied a lot in daily life. For example, using sunscreen on hot days, and using condoms to control pregnancy or prevent other sexually transmitted diseases. Instead of the traditional way of policing drug users, harm reduction offers an alternative strategy that relies on showing respect, dignity, and compassion.

The design of supervised consumption sites is one concrete form of harm reduction. It provides a safe and stress-free space for people who use drugs to go to while maintaining a sense of dignity. There will also be access to professionals to educate them about the potential harms brought on by substance overuse, and prevent fatal overdose situations.

Some community members might be concerned about whether such sites actually encourage drug overuses. But this has not been the case. “In fact, it’s really quite the opposite. They don’t encourage young people or any other people to start using drugs,” Dr. Harris said.

This program might be able to save lives and also gain opportunities to establish new relationships with people who are not accessing the current services.

Sam Reiver, the Executive Director of OnPoint NYC, also shared his view on what a safe consumption site is striving for. With the ongoing program in New York City, the first city to operate such sites, Reiver said the site is there to keep people alive. Considering the fact that most people who use drugs do so for self-medicated pain or mental health conditions, the site can greatly reduce the percentage of drug users who die due to the fatal overdose.

Reiver added that the site can provide laundry service and showers, which can mean a lot for homeless people. This kind of service corresponds to the concept of dignity and respect.   

Carrie Richgels, from Fenway Health, shared the questions gathered from the community members to have genuine concerns and engaged in discussion at the end of the meeting. Residents are concerned about issues such as the staffing in supervised consumption sites, the possible location of the sites, how to make it equitable for neighbors, and whether there will be an increase in crime.

The final decision on the location of supervised consumption sites have not been made yet. But the city of Somerville and Fenway Health will listen to the voices from the community and include them in the project.

Richgels concluded the meeting by sharing what people can do to make the project work. “Share what you’ve learned tonight. Talk to your neighbors. I think the only way this will happen successfully is if the community has an active and open dialogue,” Richgels said.