A group of residents and community health workers rallied Monday afternoon in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, denouncing the recent closure of a 24-hour health care centre.

The Health Contact Centre -- which provides basic health care services, washroom facilities, and addiction and detox referrals for residents of the Downtown Eastside -- was abruptly shut down by Vancouver Coastal Health on May 3.

According to Anna Marie D'Angelo of Vancouver Coastal Health, the centre was "duplicating services" offered by other organizations that operate within a four-block radius of Main St. and Hastings St., such as Insite, Onsite, the Washington Needle Depot and the Downtown Eastside LifeSkills Centre.

"It's a different time than it was in 2001 when [the centre] opened. It did meet a need then, but now, there's better facilities, there's more facilities," said D'Angelo.

Yet community workers say that closing the 24-hour centre leaves no option for residents requiring late-night treatment for minor wounds and illnesses. Of the four nearby organizations, only Insite is open overnight, and workers say the safe injection site is not intended to offer the variety of services that the centre provides.

"[The centre] is the first contact for health services," said Harsha Walia, project coordinator at the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre. "But they also offer really critical programming in the neighbourhood. They're open late at night, they have a drop-in, they serve food. You really can't underestimate the value, especially for women, of having a bathroom in the middle of the night."

The centre's closure will likely increase hospitalizations and the demand for emergency medical services in the area, according to Lorna Bird of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users.

"People who have infections in their feet, who get beaten up, there's no place for refuge for them," she said. "Where are they going to go? St. Paul's Hospital."

While the $500,000 annually allocated to the centre will be redirected to other services in the Downtown Eastside, Vancouver Coastal Health said it is not currently considering reopening the Health Contact Centre.

Robyn Smith is completing a practicum at The Tyee.