A new permanent indoor inhalation overdose prevention service in downtown Victoria has been announced by Island Health.
The new service – co-located with The Harbour, Victoria’s safer consumption site at 941 Pandora Ave. – is the first of its size fully enclosed indoor inhalation site of its kind in North America, said Island Health.
“The unpredictable poisoned drug supply continues to take lives at a tragic, unacceptable rate across B.C., including in Victoria,” said Mental Health and Addictions Minister Jennifer Whiteside, in a statement. “More than half of the people who are dying consumed toxic drugs by smoking. This indoor inhalation service is part of our government’s plan to continue increasing access to life-saving services and connecting more people to care.”
At the end of October, the toxic drug supply had claimed the lives of 2,039 British Columbians this year – 130 of these in Greater Victoria.
The new indoor inhalation service opened on Dec. 12, replacing the temporary inhalation service which has operated across the street at 926 Pandora Ave. since November 2021. The temporary site has averaged over 700 visits per week.
“The new indoor inhalation space will be a significant component of Island Health’s goal to reconfigure The Harbour into a Wellness and Recovery Centre,” said Leah Hollins, Island Health board chair, in a statement. “The Wellness and Recovery Centre will be fully implemented in phases over the coming months and is based on the Cowichan Valley Wellness and Recovery site, which provides harm reduction, overdose prevention, access to medication-supported therapies and treatment, on-site basic health services and connection to Island Health on-site mental health and substance use services.”
The new indoor inhalation service will operate the same hours as the previous temporary service – from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and will be able to accommodate up to 24 clients at a time. It will continue to be operated in partnership with the same providers which operate The Harbour and the temporary site – Island Health, Lookout Health and Housing Society and SOLID Outreach.
The site is equipped with HEPA air handling units, which meet all environmental and occupational health standards.
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