USA. Safe Injection Spaces Save Lives and Money, But Will They Make It in America?
During the rise of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, injection drug use prompted public health responses to reduce blood borne disease transmission and improperly disposed syringes. In 1986, in Bern, Switzerland, syringe exchange programs expanded services to address rising opioid-related overdose by legally authorizing facilities to supervise injection drug users for signs of overdose. Thus, trained clinical staff began monitoring clients while they injected pre-obtained drugs on the site’s premises where social support services were provided to high need populations.
Supervised Injection Facilities (SIFs; also known as supervised consumption sites, safe injection facilities, and a number of other names) are health care settings that take a harm reduction approach to injection drug use by providing an alternative space for people who would otherwise use drugs in public, solitary, or unhygienic spaces. SIF staff monitor clients for overdose, provide access to sterile injection materials, and offer referrals to social supports, including drug treatment services. Some facilities permit users to smoke or snort substances, in addition to injecting them. (IRETA – Institute for Research, Training and Education in Addictions, USA, 01.06.2017)