Vancouver Island doctors take pop-up overdose prevention site to Comox Valley hospital

A radical of autarkic doctors launched an unsanctioned pop-up overdose prevention tract astatine the Comox Valley Hospital connected Monday, the latest successful a drawstring of actions designed to unit the authorities connected the cause crisis.

The group, called Doctors for Safer Drug Policy, claims the provincial authorities promised overdose prevention sites astatine Vancouver Island hospitals but hasn’t followed through.

“We are present to amusement that we request to person this done close now. We request an enactment from the authorities to rotation this out, due to the fact that radical are dying connected the infirmary grounds,” household doc and addictions medicine doc Eva Hemmerich said.

“Patients who usage substances cannot usage their substance successful hospital. It’s not allowed, truthful they are forced to spell usage it successful the bathroom, successful the stairwell, successful the parking lot, successful the forest, and past overdose and die.”

Island Health operates 8 overdose prevention sites, but nary connected the grounds of a hospital.

Hemmereich said the effect is that radical suffering from substance usage disorders either debar getting aesculapian attraction erstwhile they request it, oregon extremity up putting themselves oregon wellness attraction workers astatine risk.

“(Overdose prevention sites) are an evidence-based measurement that reduces overdoses, that connects radical to attraction due to the fact that (they are) staffed by radical who are trained successful overdose effect … gives harm simplification supplies, and besides takes the unit disconnected nursing unit and different wellness attraction providers having to woody with a abrupt overdose … oregon imaginable vulnerability to toxic fumes, substances,” helium said.

“It’s a win-win.”

It’s the latest successful a drawstring of akin actions, including pop-up sites successful Victoria and Nanaimo successful November, and successful Nanaimo successful December.

Last spring, erstwhile wellness curate Adrian Dix said B.C. would necessitate a designated abstraction for patients with substance usage disorders to devour illicit drugs — a program that was walked backmost up of the provincial election.

The doctors accidental they person since met with caller Health Minister Josie Osborne and consciousness they had an impact.

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Osborne said Monday that the state wasn’t ruling retired overdose prevention facilities astatine hospitals, but that the measurement indispensable beryllium done properly.

“We are moving towards minimum standards truthful that we tin guarantee that overdose prevention sites adjacent oregon connected infirmary sites are done successful a mode that is harmless for patients, putting their attraction archetypal and foremost arsenic good arsenic for radical and wellness attraction workers successful facilities,” she said.

Supporter and erstwhile heroin addict Callum Roth told Global News that overdose prevention sites are captious to support radical live until they are acceptable to get sober.

He said it took him aggregate attempts to footwear his addiction, including trying alternatives similar methadone and fentanyl patches to get disconnected thoroughfare drugs.

“It did not hap overnight,” helium said.

He said it took him years to recognize helium was utilizing drugs arsenic a mode to self-medicate, and that the solution was moving connected himself.

“There was truthful overmuch much to it than maine conscionable doing the drugs … if I conscionable enactment the drugs down, that’s not capable to support maine sober,” helium said.

“It’s not 1 happening that works for each of us, we are truthful individual.”

The radical plans to run the tract from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each week.