Pubdate: Thu, 20 Feb 2003
Source: Victoria News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2003 Victoria News
Contact:  http://www.vicnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1267
Author: Don Descoteau
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?142 (Safe Injecting Rooms)

LOCAL HEALTH COALITION WATCHES VANCOUVER'S DRUG EFFORTS

Frustrated over the number of addicts who continue to die of drug 
overdoses, a group of concerned citizens have set up a safe drug injection 
site on Vancouver's Downtown East Side.

While it could be at least April by the time that site is officially opened 
to addicts wanting to shoot up in a clean, safe and supportive environment, 
officials in Victoria plan on closely monitoring its progress, and that of 
subsequent sites set up to handle what has become a modern urban epidemic.

"I think their effort to save lives is laudable, it's groundbreaking," says 
AIDS Vancouver Island executive director Miki Hansen of what is happening 
in Vancouver. "Clearly the partners in Victoria that we're working with 
will be closely watching it."

The Vancouver facility, called InSite, is patterned after similar sites in 
Frankfurt, Germany, and Sydney, Australia. Hansen says much information 
about the Frankfurt organization, in particular, is available on-line.

One of the ingredients that makes the German operation successful, says 
Hansen, is the activities of a working committee that meets weekly to keep 
all stakeholders abreast of the situation. She sees such a regular meeting 
of the minds as having value in Victoria. "When you do that you take care 
of the bumps that come along the way."

Victoria's Downtown Action Plan, announced Jan. 31 by Victoria Mayor Alan 
Lowe, Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) CEO Marilyn Rook and 
Victoria police chief Paul Battershill, included the creation of a sobering 
and assessment centre.

Dr. Richard Stanwick, VIHA's acting medical health officer, says such a 
centre will be primarily intended to address the problems of alcohol abuse. 
But he acknowledges that individuals with addictive personalities often 
don't restrict themselves to just one substance, which is part of the 
reason a harm reduction program for intravenous drug users is also on the 
table as the inner-city health coalition moves forward in tackling downtown 
Victoria's problems.

Stanwick says having some kind of treatment centre or dry-out facility 
would ease the pressure on police officers, who are frequently forced to 
deal with people who have overindulged.

"For those (addicts) who are acting out, clearly there is a role for the 
cells. But for most of these people, the drunk tank isn't the appropriate 
place for them or the appropriate use of police resources."

Victoria Coun. Charlayne Thornton-Joe, Victoria council's liaison for 
downtown, concedes the coalition of health professionals, city officials 
and police set up to enact the Downtown Action Plan have their work cut out 
for them. She says they will be watching the Vancouver situation closely, 
given its parallel problems to Victoria -- albeit on a much larger scale.

"We want to look at the Vancouver experience before we make any decisions 
(on a safe injection site)," she says.

Last month, Thornton-Joe and fellow Victoria councillors Chris Coleman and 
Dean Fortin joined Vancouver beat cops on a walkabout around Vancouver's 
Downtown East Side.

"It was definitely an eye-opener," she says. "Some people I've talked to 
think Victoria's problems are comparable to Vancouver, but there's no 
comparison. There's no denying there's some concerns (here) but it can't be 
compared to the scope of the problem there." Thornton-Joe says that in her 
discussions with councillors from other municipalities during the trip, she 
found that Victoria's problems are not unlike those of other cities and towns.

Stanwick says the Victoria authorities' willingness to work co-operatively 
on the problems gives cause for optimism about the future. A critical 
point, he says, is that the issue of addiction -- taken as a root cause of 
further problems -- is ultimately being viewed as a health issue and being 
framed in the proper context.

"People have to keep in mind that these people are somebody's brother or 
sister or uncle," he says. "If we lose the humanity side of it, we'll lose 
the downtown."
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