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   an interim "safer" injection site opens in van

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Topic: an interim "safer" injection site opens in van (Read 226 times)

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an interim "safer" injection site opens in van
« on: Apr 30^th, 2003, 7:43pm »

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i should add that we were promised a safe injection site by our new major larry campbell for january 1st but ottawa has been digging in its' heals until now for financial reasons...yeah, right...i am glad that these people, several whom i know or know of, have undertaken to do this for themselves as people are still dying of unnecessary overdoses and getting AIDS and other illnesses from needle sharing in the alleys of the downtown eastside of vancouver. if you get a chance, see the documentary entitled 'fix' released in october of 2002 for a better look at the continuing struggle of this area where i spend most of my volunteer time.

Vancouver - An interim "safer" injection site and night-time drop in centre for drug users has opened in response to an aggressive new policing strategy that public health experts fear may lead to increased transmission of HIV. The centre, located at 327 Carrall Street, provides a place where drug users can obtain sterile injecting equipment and inject under the supervision of a nurse. Intended to alleviate the ongoing high rate of drug overdose and infection resulting from people injecting in back-alleys and alone in hotel rooms, the safer injection site is an interim measure while community members await the opening of the long-promised government funded safe injection site.

Megan Oleson, a registered nurse and staff person at the health centre, says, "We had to be proactive to respond to the immediate health needs of the community. The increased police in the Downtown Eastside is only exacerbating the public health emergency and we could not sit by and watch more people dying when those deaths are preventable."
The safer injection site began operating on April 7, 2003, the day 'Project Torpedo' was launched by the Vancouver Police Department. Open 7 days a week from 10 pm to 2 am, the centre is proving to be a crucial service for many drug-addicted residents of the Downtown Eastside who need a place to inject safely and obtain injection supplies. Volunteer staff who work at the centre supervise all injections and can react quickly in case of an overdose.

Many drug users have expressed their sense of relief that the centre is available and peer-driven. Murray Turnbull, a member of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, said, "We are forced to do this safe injection site for ourselves by ourselves because all layers of the government are unwilling to do what they promised they would do."

The opening of the safer injection site is supported by the Harm Reduction Coalition, a group of Downtown Eastside organizations who have come together to speak out against the increased enforcement and demand the implementation of the other three pillars envisioned in Vancouver's 'Four Pillar' strategy. The Harm Reduction Coalition includes the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, the Anti-Poverty Committee, the Housing Action Committee, and Pivot Legal Society. A press conference and viewing of the site will be held at 2pm on Tuesday, April 29, 2003. A number of representatives from the 327 Carrall Street drop-in centre and from the Harm Reduction Coalition will be making statements and answering questions.

For more information, contact:
Megan Oleson, Registered Nurse and staff person at 327 Carrall St. 604-561-5724
Tim Howard - Director, Pivot Legal Society 604-685-5618 (ext. 225)
Ann Livingston - Project Coordinator, VANDU 604-719-5313

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