An Interior Health building at 235 Lansdowne Street will soon be expanding its services to include an overdose prevention site.

(BRENDAN KERGIN / iNFOnews.ca)

Plans are in the works for a supervised drug consumption site to move from its location in an RV into the Kamloops Mental Health and Substance Use office.

Interior Health is consolidating services from two other locations already available in Kamloops into the downtown location at 235 Lansdowne St., as part of an expansion that includes more substance use treatment, added services for young people and a safe consumption site.

The office currently offers a variety of programs for mental health and substance use counselling, treatment and recovery, and for some residents the idea of putting active drug users into the same facility as those who are in recovery programs seems questionable.

READ MORE: Interior Health to expand mental health, addiction services in Kamloops

Joshua Knaak is a partner at Arpa Investments. While he said he is not an expert on the topic of drug use and recovery, he has spent a lot of time in the City and has seen a lot of activity on the streets.

“It’s quite astounding to me that Interior Health will be hosting a safe injection site in the same location as they host recovery programs for people that have been sober for three months and are pursuing recovery,” he said.

An Interior Health building at 235 Lansdowne Street.

Image Credit: GOOGLE

In the past the supervised drug consumption site, which is currently set up beside Crossroads Inn, was located behind Knaak’s company building.

“People used all around the site, they would spread out with the assumption that if something bad happened they were close enough to get help,” he said. “It drew dealers into the area. The concern is that people going to recovery programs or the methadone clinic on the corner will now have to walk past people using and all the dealers and old peers. Are we trying to set them up for success or failure?”

READ MORE: Permanent supervised drug consumption site coming to downtown Kamloops

Tanya Spahmann is a long-time advocate for the marginalized in the city and currently completing her social work degree. She has a hopeful outlook on the facility developments.

“Having a consumption site that is safe and accessible in the downtown core is important in this opioid crisis to mitigate drug poisonings,” she said. “I'm sure there are risks but IH would have had to satisfy rigorous program criteria in the approval process including having a risk management protocol with particular attention to the demographic. I would hope they have a plan in place for accommodating the various stages of addiction and mental health treatment.”

Spahmann said she is excited about this progressive step forward in harm reduction, and that harm reduction is also treatment and needs to be respected.

According a media release by Interior Health, consolidating existing primary care services with some mental health and substance use programs will provide a better experience for patients, clients and care providers.

“Research shows the integration of nursing, primary care and substance use treatment programs leads to better health outcomes for people who could benefit from supervised consumption services,” said Interior Health medical health office, Dr. Carol Fenton in the release.

Over time the mobile supervised consumption vehicle will be decommissioned and its services will transition into the clinic. The introduction of new and expanded supports, including the relocation of services, will occur over time as renovations and recruitment of more staff occurs.

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