Supervised Injection Facilities
What are supervised injection facilities?
Legal supervised (or safer) injection facilities (SIFs) have been defined as protected places for the hygienic consumption of pre-obtained drugs in a nonjudgmental environment and under the supervision of trained staff.
SIFs can also be described as a controlled health care setting where drug users inject drugs under supervision and receive health care, counseling, and referral to health and social services, including drug treatment (City of Vancouver, Four Pillars Drug Strategy).
More details about supervised injection facilities
What is the Health Department's position on this topic?
On October 18, 2007, the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Alliance for Saving Lives cosponsored a symposium exploring safer injection facilities. The Department does not currently have a position regarding the opening of a legal safer injection facility, but is interested in continuing to review evidence about these facilities and to get community input about their pros and cons.
Below are a number of presentations from the symposium. For more information about safer injection facilities or the Alliance for Saving Lives, contact the Harm Reduction Coalition at hrcwest@harmreduction.org.
Safer Injection Facilities
Symposium -
October 18, 2007
Agenda and
Presentations
GUEST SPEAKER:
Thomas Kerr, PhD, University of British Columbia
Getting to the Point: The results from the three-year evaluation of Vancouver's supervised injection facility
Panel: WHY WE NEED MORE HEALTH INTERVENTIONS FOR DRUG USERS
Moderator: Jeannie Little, LCSW,
Director of Community Programs
Tenderloin Health
SPEAKERS:
- Captain Niels Tangherlini,
SF Fire Department Outreach Team
Overdose Incidence & Response
- Brad Shapiro, MD, Opiate Treatment Outpatient Program, SFGH
Treatment Needs & Access
- Val Robb, RN, Positive Health Program, SFGH
The Staggering Costs of Hepatitis C: A Nurse's Perspective
- Alex Kral, PhD, Urban Health Program, Research Triangle Institute San Francisco
Health Complications of Injection Drug Use
Panel: A SAFER SAN FRANCISCO
Moderator: Luis Barahona, Central City SRO Collaborative
SPEAKERS:
- Dina Hilliard, Community Organizer, Safety Network Partnership
Street Injection and Community Impact
- Yolandra Interian, Community Member, La Voz Latina de La Ciudad Central
Community Perspectives
- Julian Davis, Executive Director, Tenderloin Economic Development Project
Community Perspectives
- Valerie Schwartz, Community Member, Mission Neighborhood
Community Perspectives
- Paul Boden, Coalition on Homelessness
Community Perspectives
Panel: SAFE INJECTION FACILITIES: POLICY & PRACTICE
Moderator: Andrew Reynolds, STD & HIV Specialist, San Francisco City Clinic
Global Overview of Safe Injection Facilities
SPEAKERS:
- Sarah Evans, Program Coordinator, InSite, OnSite * CTCT Vancouver
InSite: 4 years of practice in North America's only Supervised Injection Facility
- Peter Davidson, PhD(c), UFO Study, UCSF
SIFs as a response to epidemic overdose: public health lessons from around the world
GUEST SPEAKER:
Scott Burris, JD, Temple University
Where there is political will, there is a legal way
Panel: MOVING FORWARD
Moderator: Steven Tierney, Deputy Director, San Francisco AIDS Foundation
SPEAKERS:
- Barry Zevin, MD, Tom Waddell Clinic
Opening a clinic that truly meets user needs
- Laura Guzman, Director, Mission Neighborhood Resource Center
Mobilizing our community
- Barbara Garcia, Deputy Director, SF Department of Public Health
The role of Public Health in opening a Safe Injection Facility
- Hilary McQuie, Regional Director, Harm Reduction Coalition
Next steps for action
