An application for a second supervised consumption service has been made in Victoria. Island Health, in partnership with PHS Community Services Society (PHS), submitted the application. If approved by Health Canada, the service will be the first on Vancouver Island to embed supervised consumption services into a housing facility for vulnerable, and high risk individuals. It would be open to building residents and registered guests only.
Dr. Richard Stanwick, Chief Medical Health Officer with Island Health, says by building a supervised consumption service into the social and clinical services already offered at the Johnson Street Community residential facility, residents and their registered guests will have safer drug use services on-site... as well as improved ability to connect users with treatment services.
The current Johnson Street residence (844 Johnson Street) is home to about 145 high-risk, marginalized residents, and is owned by BC Housing, and operated by PHS. Since December the site has operated an Overdose Prevention Service where staff have responded to two overdoses, but there have been no deaths.
As of the end of April 488 people had died in BC from illicit drug overdoses so far this year -- 84 within Island Health's area, and 37 in Victoria.