Pubdate: Wed, 18 Jun 2008
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2008 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Brendan Kennedy
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)

HARM-REDUCTION REPORT CRITICAL OF MAYOR

'Political Interference' Hurts Drug Users Who Need Service, Authors Say

Mayor Larry O'Brien's political interference in Ottawa's Safer Crack 
Use Initiative damaged relations between the police service and the 
public health unit, says a report from the Canadian AIDS Society and 
the Canadian Harm Reduction Network.

The two organizations yesterday launched the jointly authored report 
based on a study of harm-reduction programs for drug users in nine 
medium-sized cities across Canada, including Ottawa. Harm-reduction 
services include distribution of clean needles and other drug-using 
equipment, provision of condoms, counselling and other forms of 
treatment and education to reduce the spread of infectious diseases.

"As a result of the mayor's political interference, relations between 
the police service and public health have broken down and staff 
morale has been undermined," the report reads. "However, those who 
lost the most are the people who smoke crack and who need the service."

In his election campaign, Mr. O'Brien promised to cancel the Safer 
Crack Use Initiative and the needle distribution program in Ottawa.

The Safer Crack Use Initiative, run by the city's public health unit, 
provides safe crack use kits, which include materials and education 
for people using crack cocaine to prevent the transmission of 
infectious diseases, particularly Hepatitis-C and HIV.

Last summer Mr. O'Brien led council in a vote to cancel the program, 
despite the objections of the public health unit.

He also suggested the needle distribution program be turned into a 
true needle exchange, with a clean needle given out only if a used 
one was brought back, in order to reduce the number of discarded 
needles found in parks and alleys.

Funding from the AIDS bureau of the provincial Health Ministry has 
allowed the safe crack use program to continue at the Somerset West 
Community Health Centre.

The controversies surrounding the city's harm reduction programs 
soured the relationship between the mayor and the former chief 
medical officer of health, Dr. David Salisbury, who quit the Ottawa 
post in April.

Last week, though, Mr. O'Brien appeared to be mending the 
relationship with the public health unit by meeting with acting Chief 
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Isra Levy to discuss the city's needle 
distribution programs.

On Thursday, Dr. Levy tabled a report with recommendations for 
changes to the needle distribution program, and convinced Mr. O'Brien 
a one-for-one needle exchange would not work and could, in fact, 
cause infection rates to increase.

Dr. Levy's report also recommends: hiring a student public-health 
inspector in the summer and full-time public-health trainee in the 
fall to be responsible for needle pick-up; setting up a hotline to 
report found needles; adding new Vanier routes to the standard 
needle-patrol program; and making available more needle-drop boxes.

Dr. Levy's report is to be discussed at a community services 
committee meeting tomorrow and at city council later in the month.

The report by the Canadian AIDS Society and the Canadian Harm 
Reduction Network, entitled Learning From Each Other, studied Oasis, 
a program of the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre, Ottawa Public 
Health's Safer Crack Use Initiative and the Methadone Maintenance 
Treatment program.

"Stigma and discrimination are incredible barriers that must be 
eradicated to make health care accessible to all Canadians," 
co-author Lynne Belle-Isle said.

The report is available in its entirety online at two sites: 
www.cdnaids.ca/learning_from_each_other and 
www.canadianharmreduction.com/project
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom