Canadian Journal of Public Health<\/a> this week, evaluated the first two years of a non-medical Stabilization and Connection Centre in Toronto launched in 2022.<\/p>\nThe centre was created to redirect people who are intoxicated by alcohol or opioids and don\u2019t require medical attention from the ER to a 10-bed facility with support workers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The University Health Network program partners with The Neighbourhood Group Community Services and Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre, who staff the site.<\/p>\n
The study said paramedics were on site for a mean of about seven minutes, compared to more than 34 minutes at two nearby ERs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the centre\u2019s founders Dr. Andrew Boozary said that means paramedics were back on the streets much faster.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Less than seven per cent of patients were transferred to hospital from the stabilization centre, which Boozary said shows this approach is safe and catching the people who need it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
More than half of the centre\u2019s 4,500 visits were among people who were homeless. Many were referred to homeless services and substance use care by staff at the site.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe status quo wasn\u2019t working for the way the system was responding to many of the alcohol intoxication and opioid overdoses, especially for people who are experiencing homelessness,\u201d Boozary said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr. Kate Hayman, medical director of the emergency department at Toronto General Hospital, said the impact of diverting patients who are medically stable from the ER is \u201ctransformative.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery person who had an admission to the SCC would have been a patient admitted to our ED,\u201d Hayman said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That amounts to about six less people per day in the ER who each would have spent four or five hours there, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt enabled us to provide more focused care for people who maybe have more severe overdoses, as well as people with other kinds of emergencies, strokes, heart attacks,\u201d Hayman said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The study also found the length of stay at the stabilization centre was significantly longer, with a mean of more than 10 hours, compared to just over 8 1\/2 hours in the ER.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Florencia Leston, director of community health services at the Neighbourhood Group, said that longer stay is by design.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Patients can spend up to 24 hours at the centre, where they can sleep, shower and eat. There are harm reduction and personal support workers on staff, along with a physician-on-call.<\/p>\n
Leston said a lot of clients would typically spend hours on a stretcher sleeping in the emergency department.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHere they have a different opportunity,\u201d she said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are able to actually build some sort of rapport that allows them to start even being curious in changing some of their circumstances. And I think that that\u2019s one of the most valuable things that we are able to actually do in the SCC.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leston said she hopes to open admission to more hospitals in future to broaden the community the centre can support.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2026. <\/p>\n
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.<\/p>\n
Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n
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