“Needle exchange services – as part of an overall harm reduction strategy – are key to preventing the spread of infectious disease,” said Dr. Richard Stanwick, Chief Medical Health Officer for VIHA. “An effective and accessible distribution system for clean needles is essential to further reducing Hepatitis C and HIV infection rates on Vancouver Island.”
VIHA already makes clean needles available through a variety of sources, including through contracted service providers, informal secondary distribution channels and through some public health units. The expansion of needle exchange services will make clean needles available at all public health units as well as through other VIHA sites, as well as possibly other locations including pharmacies and other non-profit agency partners. A full list of new sites will be determined in the coming weeks in consultation with VIHA staff and others interested in promoting harm reduction.
“Given the human and economic burden associated with drug use and infections, our objective is to reach out to users to offer them support to get off drugs, as well as to provide health care services and prevent the spread of disease,” said Stanwick. “While we are encouraged by the reduction in infection rates, we remain vigilant about providing harm reduction service in our VIHA communities.”
Rates of newly identified hepatitis C and HIV infections have decreased over the past 5 years on Vancouver Island. Since 2004, Hepatitis C infection rates on Southern Vancouver Island have fallen from 83 infections per 100,000 population to 53 infections per 100,000 in 2008.
A recent study showed that HIV rates among the street-involved population have also fallen marginally over the past five years, while HIV incidence on Southern Vancouver Island has decreased from 13.2 per 100,000 population to six per 100,000 population over the same time period.
As part of the move to a more distributed needle exchange model, VIHA has decided not to consider or pursue a fixed needle exchange in Victoria on Princess Street.
“Our experience to date has been that it is very difficult to find a needle exchange site that is acceptable to any neighborhood,” said Howard Waldner, VIHA President and CEO. “A more fully distributed model for needle exchange services that ensures broader access across the entire community, while also decreasing the pressure on a single site, makes sense to VIHA.”
Waldner noted that in the Lower Mainland, needle exchange and referrals to counseling services are available at all mental health and addictions offices located in health units and community health centres across the region served by Vancouver Coastal Health. This is in addition to needle exchange and harm reduction services offered by other agencies within the region.
Finally, as part of the change to a more distributive model for needle exchange services, the Victoria Needle Exchange Advisory Committee will cease. This group, established by VIHA in 2008, was instrumental in developing criteria around fixed, mobile and distributive needle exchange services – criteria that VIHA will continue to use as these services are expanded in greater Victoria and throughout the Island.
“I want to thank the Needle Exchange Advisory Committee for their work and recommendations,” said VIHA President and CEO, Howard Waldner. “These criteria will be valuable as VIHA and our partners continue to search for other needle exchange distribution methods and locations in Greater Victoria.”
Current needle exchange services, including the mobile service, street nurses, agency provision and peer distribution will continue and be augmented by these additional points of distribution.
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Media Contact:
Shannon Marshall
VIHA Communications
250-370-8270