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Summary of findings from the evaluation of a pilot medically supervised safer injecting facility

From the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, and the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC (all authors)

Correspondence to: Dr. Evan Wood, Division of Epidemiology and Population Health, BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, 608–1081 Burrard St., Vancouver BC V6Z 1Y6; fax 604 806-9044; ewood{at}cfenet.ubc.ca

Abstract

In many cities, infectious disease and overdose epidemics are occurring among illicit injection drug users (IDUs). To reduce these concerns, Vancouver opened a supervised safer injecting facility in September 2003. Within the facility, people inject pre-obtained illicit drugs under the supervision of medical staff. The program was granted a legal exemption by the Canadian government on the condition that a 3-year scientific evaluation of its impacts be conducted. In this review, we summarize the findings from evaluations in those 3 years, including characteristics of IDUs at the facility, public injection drug use and publicly discarded syringes, HIV risk behaviour, use of addiction treatment services and other community resources, and drug-related crime rates. Vancouver's safer injecting facility has been associated with an array of community and public health benefits without evidence of adverse impacts. These findings should be useful to other cities considering supervised injecting facilities and to governments considering regulating their use.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K DeBeck, W Small, E Wood, K Li, J Montaner, and T Kerr Public injecting among a cohort of injecting drug users in Vancouver, Canada J Epidemiol Community Health, January 1, 2009; 63(1): 81 - 86. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Bayoumi MD MSc and G. S. Zaric PhD The cost-effectiveness of Vancouver's supervised injection facility Can. Med. Assoc. J., November 18, 2008; 179(11): 1143 - 1151. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Wood, J. S.G. Montaner, K. Li, R. Zhang, L. Barney, S. A. Strathdee, M. W. Tyndall, and T. Kerr Burden of HIV Infection Among Aboriginal Injection Drug Users in Vancouver, British Columbia Am J Public Health, March 1, 2008; 98(3): 515 - 519. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Beletsky, C. S. Davis, E. Anderson, and S. Burris The Law (and Politics) of Safe Injection Facilities in the United States Am J Public Health, February 1, 2008; 98(2): 231 - 237. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Wood MD PhD, J. S. Montaner MD, K. Li MSc, L. Barney RN MSN, M. W. Tyndall MD ScD, and T. Kerr PhD Rate of methadone use among Aboriginal opioid injection drug users Can. Med. Assoc. J., July 3, 2007; 177(1): 37 - 40. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Wainberg The need to promote public health in the field of illicit drug use. Can. Med. Assoc. J., November 21, 2006; 175(11): 1395 - 1395. [Full Text] [PDF]

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