Pubdate: Wed, 20 Jul 2016
Source: Maple Ridge News (CN BC)
Page: A1
Copyright: 2016 Maple Ridge News
Contact:  http://www.mapleridgenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1328
Author: Phil Melnychuk
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?142 (Supervised Injection Sites)

REGION LOOKS AT SAFE INJECTION SITES

Maple Ridge will work with Fraser Health

Fraser Health will identify priority sites for supervised drug 
consumption as part of a broader strategy to contain a surge in 
illicit drug overdoses, and Maple Ridge could be one.

Fraser Health has to talk with the City of Maple Ridge first.

"This is not something we've really ever talked about as a 
community," said Mayor Nicole Read.

"It sounds like this is a decision that's been made by Fraser Health 
in response to an emerging situation that's a real crisis. Obviously, 
we're going to be working with Fraser Health however we can to deal 
with the situation in our own community. But what that looks like, 
I'm not sure yet."

In April, the B.C. government declared its first-ever public health 
emergency to deal with the sharply rising cases of opioid drug 
overdoses across the province.

There were 474 apparent illicit drug overdose deaths in B.C. in 2015, 
a 30-per-cent increase over 2014.

In Fraser Health region, the B.C. Coroners Service recorded 29 
fentanyl-related deaths in 2014, 49 in 2015 and 19 in the first three 
months of 2016.

In May, Health Minister Terry Lake said there were 56 overdose cases 
reported in April, and the province has seen an average of 60 a month 
since January.

Fraser Health on Monday said it's now identifying priority sites for 
supervised drug consumption.

The announcement followed a frenetic weekend in Surrey where 43 
people suffered drug overdoses.

Read said she wants more information about the demographics to show 
who is suffering the overdoses and where, although she knows 
overdoses take place on the street and in the temporary homeless 
shelter on Lougheed Highway.

She also wants the province to provide more youth mental health care 
to stop the progression towards homelessness and drug addiction and 
to ensure that the numbers don't keep climbing.

Dr. Victoria Lee, chief medical health officer, said Monday that 
Fraser Health is "at the early stages of identifying priority 
communities and having initial conversations, dialogue and engagement 
with municipalities."

No locations have been announced yet.

Lee said sites will be chosen based on where the most benefit is 
possible, using data on overdoses, as well as fatalities from the 
B.C. Coroners Service.

B.C. Coroner's Service stats from last week showed that 10 people in 
Maple Ridge were killed by fentanyl overdoses in the first six months 
of this year, almost a fifth of the deaths in the entire region.

Only Surrey, with 22 deaths, had more deaths in the Fraser Health 
region, which stretches from Burnaby to Hope.

Last year, 11 people each in Maple Ridge and Surrey died from 
fentanyl overdoses.

Read said nobody from Fraser Health has yet contacted Maple Ridge 
about possible locations.

"If they're expecting to do that, there has to be some kind of 
conversation there, I would think."

Read doesn't know enough to say whether she supports it.

With some people opposing homeless shelters, "a safe injection site 
is another issue that probably will really raise deep concern in the 
community."

And people are concerned if such steps are really working.

Maple Ridge is currently trying to find a location for a homeless 
shelter after public outcry caused B.C. Housing to abandon its 
proposal to convert the Quality Inn to a supportive housing complex.

Read added that there remain significant issues with mental health.

She said the MLAs need to speak up and get involved.

Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows MLA Doug Bing said he'd support a supervised 
injection site in Maple Ridge.

"I think it's a good public health measure to do that and I think 
it's a good thing to do."

Bing also assumes Fraser Health would have to talk to the city.

He said the changes are sparked by the new Liberal government in 
Ottawa, which doesn't oppose safe-injection site as much as the 
Conservatives did.

A safe-injection site could help reduce the number used needles lying around.

"It's a good thing for people to be in a safe place where people have 
naloxone and the help they can give them."

Bing said, if called upon, he'll speak in favour of a safe-injection site.

"I'm not aware that there's a huge controversy out here. It's really 
a public health measure that speaks for itself. It will save lives. 
It'll keep our streets safer - we won't have all these needles 
around, or less of them. I think that it's a positive thing."

Under the federal Respect For Communities Act passed by the former 
Conservative government, proposed consumption sites seeking an 
exemption must be backed by extensive documentation, including 
support letters from the local municipality and police force.

Some public health officials - notably provincial health officer Dr. 
Perry Kendall - have called for the repeal of the federal legislation 
and expedited approvals, but for now the law stands.

"Fraser Health intends to work very closely with our municipalities 
to reach out and to ensure that there's engagement and dialogue in 
place to successfully apply for the exemption," Lee said, adding that 
process has begun in some cases.

"We have engaged with some of the communities, such as Surrey, where 
we have seen significant increases in the need for that service."

No overdose victims from over the weekend died, but some were 
admitted to hospital and Lee said they've required up to six times 
more naloxone than usual to reverse their overdoses - a sign highly 
potent drugs are involved.

"While people believe that they may be taking crack cocaine, it's 
actually fentanyl that's coming back positive as well as crack 
cocaine," she said.

Health Minister Terry Lake supported the push for new supervised 
sites after the declaration of a public health emergency this spring 
as the number of fatal overdoses climbed.

An e-mail from the health ministry says supervised injection services 
such as Insite in Vancouver are proven to save lives, reduce disease 
spread and connect users to other services, such as detox.

Fentanyl has been traced to illicit drug labs in China. Considered 
100 times more potent than heroin and other opioids, its strength 
makes it easy to smuggle and to reach dangerous levels when mixed 
with other drugs.

- - with files from Black Press
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom