MONIKA MONACO – Overdose Prevention Support Worker, Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre
“There’s a whole bunch of clients that I’m really concerned about because they are really high risk in a lot of different areas, but specifically like overdoses … these are clients that come in every single day, who overdose just about every single day, and we reverse it. We safety plan with them when we’re in these spaces, but that doesn’t guarantee those plans can be followed through outside based off of wherever they are.”
“It’s a really scary thing because it is going to kind of push more people to have to use in unseen places, and no one’s going to be there for them.”
“I’m a huge, huge advocate for our clients and knowing that even with the privilege that I have, I can’t do anything, is really scary. I feel as if I haven’t done enough. Because things are closing I’ll do my best to make sure [people] are good and [people] stay alive and I’ll be able to see them in six months. But the reality is that there’s a handful that I know that I won’t see in six months from now.”
Monaco is seen in the centre’s consumption room on Friday, March 21, 2025.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
