SCS - a Power Team

Supervised consumption sites don’t usually get positive headlines. There's no fanfare when someone uses safely, listens to a staff member's advice, or decides to slow down their use. But inside the GSS Supervised Consumption Service those moments add up — to lives saved, health protected, and real connections to recovery services.

• Last year individuals made over 25,000 visits to our SCS, and staff reversed 450 overdoses. Each one of those reversals is a person who got to see another sunrise.

It takes a particular kind of person to do this work. The SCS medical team brings deep clinical skill and expertise in crisis care and overdose response, Recovery Coaches help individuals identify and build their recovery capital, and the Support Workers show up in countless ways — helping people feel safe, calm, and cared for.

To watch this team reverse an overdose is to see something remarkable: no panic, no chaos, just people who know exactly what they are doing. They also share real-time information on what substances are showing up in the community, helping programs beyond the SCS make life-saving decisions. In the simplest terms: they save lives.

The SCS, under Manager Scott Zhu, is often the first door people walk through into the health system. Flu clinics, STBBI testing, and Intro to Recovery classes bring care to people who might otherwise go without. Not everyone is ready for change — but a conversation can plant a seed. And if they're ever ready, the SCS team is there.

What makes it all work is trust. When staff encourage clients to test their substances and use slowly, people listen — because those relationships are built on consistency and genuine respect. That trust is also why the SCS sees lower overdose rates than the broader community.

The space itself is getting some love too. A fresh coat of paint and new furnishings will make the SCS warmer and more welcoming. A space that feels cared for sends a message that the people inside it are cared for too.

Together, this team walks alongside people through the full care path. When someone sees the same face at the SCS, it means something — and that consistency is what changes lives. Every day, this team shows up to do work that is hard, human, and essential. We are grateful to all of them.