Pubdate: Thu, 16 Jun 2016
Source: Metro (Vancouver, CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Metro Canada
Contact:  http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3775
Author: Matt Kieltyka
Page: A1

FIVE MORE CITY INJECTION SITES PITCHED

Applications being led to help stem drug overdoses

Vancouver Coastal Health will soon file applications for five new
supervised injection sites in response to the shocking spike in
overdose deaths, council heard Wednesday.

Chief medical officer Dr. Patricia Daly briefed the city's finance and
services committee on VCH's response to the fentanyl public health
emergency and said the health authority has settled on five initial
locations for new supervised injection services.

"This is possible now that we have a federal government that is open
to new applications," said Daly. "We intend to undertake community
consultations in the coming months and submit the applications by the
end of the summer. We anticipate those supervised injection services
should be available, if all goes well, by next spring."

Daly said the five locations aren't restricted to the Downtown
Eastside.

She said the options include two community health centres that already
provide needle exchanges, an acute care hospital, and two additional
locations in the DTES: one that currently provides in-patient care to
injection drug users who need intravenous antibiotic treatments and a
recently announced mental health and addictions drop-in site.

The province has called a public health emergency over the amount of
overdose deaths. There have already been 308 illicit drug overdose
deaths in B.C. as of May.
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MAP posted-by: Matt