Photo: Contributed

A mobile supervised consumption service pioneered by Interior Health has garnered international recognition.

A report outlining the IH harm-reduction service for addicts in Kamloops and Kelowna was published this week in the Harm Reduction Journal.

The journal publishes research focusing on patterns of drug use, public policies, and "the search for effective methods of reducing the adverse medical, public health, and social consequences associated with both drugs and drug policies."

The report, Mobile supervised consumption services in Rural British Columbia: lessons learned, was compiled by Dr. Silvina Mema, Gillian Frosst, Jessica Bridgeman, Hilary Drake, Corinne Dolman, Dr. Leslie Lappalainen and Dr. Trevor Corneil.

The specially fitted RVs offer a place where drug users can be safely monitored and treated if they overdose. It has operated in Kelowna and Kamloops since 2017. Since then, the Kamloops service has seen 10,299 visits, while the Kelowna service had 37,704 visits as of Dec. 31.

The mobile service is one piece of Interior Health’s broader response to the opioid crisis. Other priorities include: enhanced surveillance to better track overdoses; participation in the BC Take Home Naloxone program; and expanded Mental Health and Substance Use treatment programs, including increased outreach and follow-up.