Pubdate: Tue, 01 Dec 2015
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2015 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Geordon Omand
Page: S2

DOCTOR BACKS INJECTION SITES IN ONTARIO

Medical researcher says three facilities in Toronto and two in Ottawa
would save money and help reduce the incidence of diseases

Opening five supervised injection sites in Ontario makes financial
sense, says a medical researcher who based his study on a Vancouver
clinic where drug users shoot up under supervision.

Ahmed Bayoumi of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto said establishing
facilities such as Insite in that city and in Ottawa would save money
and reduce the incidence of diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C.

"Three facilities for Toronto and two for Ottawa represent a good
investment compared to other things that we ordinarily invest in in
health care," he said in an interview Monday.

Insite is North America's only supervised injection site, where
addicts shoot up their own drugs under the watchful eyes of a nurse in
order to prevent overdoses.

The site provided a baseline for estimating the approximate cost of
operating a supervised injection site as well its effectiveness at
improving users' health, Dr. Bayoumi said.

Victoria and other cities across Canada have considered establishing
similar facilities.

Montreal announced its intention to open a supervised injection site
after a 2011 Supreme Court of Canada decision ruled against the former
Conservative government's attempts to shut down Insite for violating
federal drug laws.

Unlike in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Dr. Bayoumi said multiple
facilities would be more appropriate in Ontario, where populations of
drug users are more spread out.

He said the study's economic estimates are conservative because
they're based on Insite being a freestanding clinic, compared with an
approach that would incorporate supervised injection facilities into
existing health centres.

While the study focused on needs in Toronto and Ottawa, Dr. Bayoumi
said other Ontario cities could also benefit from such facilities.

"The next step is mostly a political decision rather than a research
decision, as in, 'Is there an interest and a will to actually
establish some facilities?' "

Ontario's Health Minister said a national strategy to deal with
intravenous drug users, rather than a piecemeal approach, would be
most beneficial.

"I think that more than anything, this is an opportunity to bring
together all jurisdictions and look at this in a uniform way," Eric
Hoskins said.

"We, up until recently, had a federal government that made it clear
they didn't support such sites. We now have a government that
understands the science and is willing and prepared and wants to make
decisions based on evidence."

The minister said any request for a supervised injection site would
have to come from municipal governments.

Insite opened in 2003 as part of a harm-reduction plan to tackle an
epidemic of HIV/AIDS and drug overdose deaths in the Downtown Eastside.

The facility provides clean needles to addicts to stop the spread of
infectious diseases before they inject drugs at one of 12 booths.

Studies in major medical journals have hailed the success of Insite,
suggesting it has helped reduce overdose deaths, infectious diseases
and crime in the 10-block area that draws addicts.

The former federal government was criticized for wanting Insite to be
shut down over concerns it promotes drug use, but lost a series of
legal battles that kept the clinic open.
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