Pubdate: Fri, 24 Feb 2017
Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB)
Copyright: 2017 The Edmonton Journal
Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134
Page: 10

CONTENTIOUS LIFE SAVERS

Let's be clear that the four safe injection sites proposed for
Edmonton's inner city are not a silver bullet in the battle against
substance abuse. But as Associate Health Minister Brandy Payne puts
it, safe injection facilities should be seen as one tool in a much
larger tool kit being deployed against fentanyl.

Proposals for the city's first supervised injection sites for drug
addicts living on the street were announced this week for three
central-Edmonton community agencies: Boyle McCauley Health Centre,
Boyle Street Community Services, and the George Spady Society. A
fourth centre would operate at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for its
patients, many of whom come from the inner-city.

The sites, which would be funded by Alberta Health, must still undergo
public consultation and obtain approval from the federal government.

But the plan is that the three public facilities would, together,
offer 24-7 resources to serve homeless addicts currently injecting in
parks, alleys and washrooms. No one facility would be open around the
clock. The sites would be staffed with so-called wraparound resources:
social workers, addictions counsellors, nurses and peer support
workers to keep users safe, help break the cycle of abuse and make
sure the sites don't become magnets for crime.

Without doubt, these harm-reduction facilities will reduce overdose
deaths. The sites are a public health necessity despite being
lightning rods for controversy.

First, many inner-city residents will be understandably upset the
three public facilities are all located in the same neighbourhood.
Their voices should be heard in the community engagement process, but
it appears the locations were chosen because that's where the largest
number of homeless addicts are to be found, along with existing social
agencies. Organizers of the sites surveyed addicts to determine that
most would not travel more than a kilometre to access a site. That
means the facilities won't attract addicts from across the city.

Another criticism is that the proposed locations won't benefit
recreational users or those who live in the suburbs but these sites
are designed for the unmet need in the city's core.

There are also questions on what safe injection sites, different from
safe consumption sites, can do to curb the fentanyl epidemic since
many people who ingest it take it in pill form, knowingly or
unknowingly. Many street drugs that are inhaled or smoked can be
tainted with fentanyl.

Still, the proposal to introduce safe injection sites appears to be a
well thought-out plan that will make a difference by getting needles
off the street and saving lives among its intended clientele.
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MAP posted-by: Matt