Supervised Injection Sites
An Evidence-Based Practice
Description
Vancouver’s supervised injection facilities (SIF), such as Insite and Powell Street Getaway, provides services to drug users allowing them to receive health services and assistance in becoming sober. The organization serves as a location for drug users to safely inject drugs but also focuses on providing counseling services and encouraging drug users to enroll in detoxification programs.
Insite and Powell Street Getaway focus on marginalized communities with limited access to traditional health care and addiction services. Their primary focus is on men and women who use more than one drug, the homeless and individuals who live in substandard housing, individuals of Aboriginal descent, and people who have failed to beat their drug addiction in the past.
SIFs include injection booths supervised by nurses as well as the distribution of clean drug injecting equipment such as syringes. A SIF also provides basic health care for its clients, HIV screening, addiction counseling services and help individuals locate housing and addiction treatment. Furthermore, SIFs work with partner organizations to provide detoxification services and withdrawal management for drug users.
Insite and Powell Street Getaway focus on marginalized communities with limited access to traditional health care and addiction services. Their primary focus is on men and women who use more than one drug, the homeless and individuals who live in substandard housing, individuals of Aboriginal descent, and people who have failed to beat their drug addiction in the past.
SIFs include injection booths supervised by nurses as well as the distribution of clean drug injecting equipment such as syringes. A SIF also provides basic health care for its clients, HIV screening, addiction counseling services and help individuals locate housing and addiction treatment. Furthermore, SIFs work with partner organizations to provide detoxification services and withdrawal management for drug users.
Goal / Mission
Insite’s mission is to provide a safe environment for people to inject drugs and thus reduce injecting activity in public while linking drug users to health care services such as primary care, addiction counseling and treatment.
Impact
Opening supervised injected facilities have resulted in significant reductions in public injection drug use related issues and increase in referrals to social services and detoxification programs in Vancouver.
Results / Accomplishments
An evaluation of the impacts of the Insite facility found significant reductions in public injection drug use, publicly discarded syringes and injection-related litter (p-value = 0.001). These reductions in “injection-related order problems” were found to be independent of law enforcement actions and variations in rainfall patterns. Another study evaluated the impact Insite had on detoxification behavior and found a statistically significant increase in the uptake of detoxification services the year after the SIF opened (p-value = 0.002).
Recent statistics from the program’s website indicate that Insite has continued to successfully refer drug users to addiction programs and other social services. In 2016, they made 5,321 referrals for individuals to social services and detoxification programs. Insite also intervened in 1,781 overdoses and provided 4,503 clinical treatment interventions.
Recent statistics from the program’s website indicate that Insite has continued to successfully refer drug users to addiction programs and other social services. In 2016, they made 5,321 referrals for individuals to social services and detoxification programs. Insite also intervened in 1,781 overdoses and provided 4,503 clinical treatment interventions.
About this Promising Practice
Organization(s)
Vancouver Mental Health and Addiction Services
Primary Contact
Topics
Health / Alcohol & Drug Use
Organization(s)
Vancouver Mental Health and Addiction Services
Source
Vancouver Coastal Health
Date of publication
2007
Date of implementation
2003
Geographic Type
Urban
Location
Vancouver, British Columbia
For more details
Additional Audience
injection drug users
Submitted By
Shayla Spilker, Grace Pringle, Rachel Ely - UC Berkeley School of Public Health