Pubdate: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Copyright: 2005 Times Colonist Contact: http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481 Author: John Birmingham, CanWest News Service Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?142 (Safe Injecting Rooms) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction) B.C. NEEDS MORE SAFE INJECTION SITES, SAYS TOP HEALTH OFFICIAL VANCOUVER -- It's time to make safe injection sites part of B.C.'s health-care system, says that province's top health officer. Two years after it opened, health officer Perry Kendall is calling Vancouver's safe-injection site experiment a success. The Downtown Eastside facility is reducing overdoses, preventing HIV and hepatitis C infections, and getting drug addicts into treatment, he said. "There's a very good case as to why it should continue as part of the healthcare continuum," Kendall told CanWest News Service. The pilot program, which began in September 2003, is North America's first supervised injection facility. Back in October, Kendall, who chairs the site's steering committee, asked Health Canada to allow the site be exempted as a medical service. Kendall said most of the 6,000 IV-drug users in the Downtown Eastside are currently shooting up on the street -- only one in 10 use the site daily. "There's probably room for more [sites]," said Kendall. Kendall said finding locations for other injection sites may pose a challenge. "In general, people are quite in favour," said Kendall. "They're just not quite sure they want it in their backyard." One possibility is to locate the facilities in places where IV-drug users are already going, he said. The City of Vancouver's drug-policy co-ordinator sees the need for at least one or two more sites in the Downtown Eastside. Donald MacPherson said the current site is at capacity. "We should be treating these facilities in a much more low-key fashion than we do," he said. "And we should have enough sites to deal with the need for them." Last week, Vancouver's mayor Sam Sullivan said drug addiction should be treated as a disability. Ann Livingstone of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users said there's a need for an extra four or five injection sites in the Downtown Eastside alone. And she doesn't want authorities to wait until the project ends in 2006. "I could easily go to a community and tell you they need a safe-injection site ... [because of] public drug-use," she said. Viviana Zanocco said the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority will await the final evaluation of the site before deciding to open another site. "We've got to make sure this works," she said. "People want to know what the outcome of the scientific and research part is before any other community or any neighbourhood opens their doors to this." "If we can prove to them 'look, this is why it works,' then it's easier to make a case." The City of Victoria has been looking at a safe-injection site, with differences over its size and how fast it can open. The future of safe-injection sites may hinge on the outcome of the forthcoming federal election. During a campaign stop in Victoria on Dec. 4, Conservative leader Stephen Harper has hinted he'll scupper safe-injection sites if elected. Liberal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh said in September there should be more sites to assist the drug-addicted. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin