An overdose prevention site is open outside Comox Valley Hospital this week.
Run by Doctors for Safer Drug Policy, the site focuses on taking care of those dealing with substance use by monitoring them while they use their substances, providing harm reductions and connecting them to care.
The site started on Monday and runs from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. until Friday.
This comes after plans to build three overdose prevention sites at Island hospitals stopped last April.
Related: Island hospital drug site plans put on hold after Eby’s about-face – My Comox Valley Now
Addictions and Family Physician Dr. Eva Hemmerich says overdose prevention sites serve an important role for hospitals.
“Nurses and healthcare workers are having to deal with patients coming to hospitals that need to use their substance, and they use it because otherwise every three to four hours they go to horrendous withdrawal,” said Hemmerich.
“It’s not safe for anyone not to use their substance and go into withdrawal, and the patients know this, so they have to use their substance inside the hospital, which isn’t allowed. Or they have to leave hospital grounds to use, and often not wanting to come back because they can’t continue to feel well.”
Hemmerich says this issue has led to death, with someone having recently overdosed after leaving to smoke off grounds from Comox Valley Hospital, with others found in the bathrooms and staircases of the hospital.
She also says the site is mainly for admitted hospital patients to come and use their substance safely before returning to be treated in the hospital.
She adds on their opening day they received plenty of local support.
“Once we found a site that was just off Island Health property, security and RCMP were very respectful, and we’ve had lots of people honking their horns in support and waving,” said Hemmerich.
The group hopes through this site, it can encourage BC health minister Josie Osborne to roll out and mandate those planned prevention sites, get support from Island Health in the future, and for the public to get educated on substance use.
In a statement responding to the site, Island Health says while they welcome talks on how to show support for those struggling, operating an unapproved service on their property can’t be supported.
“This position is not meant to dissuade advocacy but rather to ensure that all services provided on Island Health property adhere to regulatory, safety, and clinical standards,” said Island Health.
“That is why our Protection Services teams have worked respectfully with organizers to ensure their planned activities did not occur on Island Health property.”
The health authority adds they have informed the organizers that using property for the site without permission and consent from them isn’t permitted.
