Transcript Public Drug Use in Dublin

Targeting Harm
Responding to Public Drug Use
in Dublin
Dawn Russell – May 6th 2015
Public Drug Use in Dublin
It’s not good for anyone
• For public:
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•
Discarded equipment
Perceived danger
• For users:
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•
Health risks
Demeaning
• For health professionals:
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Interventions
Service management
Police Partnerships with individual
stakeholders or stakeholder groups
should be maintained and further
enhanced
to
improve
positive
intervention initiatives such as the recent
‘Arrest Referral Pilot’ between the Gardaí
and the Ana Liffey Drug Project and the
weekly reports and joint planning
between Dublin City BID and the Gardaí
in the target area.
Ana Liffey Drug Project
Health Service Executive
Dublin City Council
An Garda Siochana
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6.
Agreed: To endorse the “Housing First” model and support its introduction as a mainstream
programme. So that it can realise its objectives as set out in 2014, there is a need to increase the
provision of housing stock, both private and social. This is an initiative targeted at people
experiencing rough sleeping.
Agreed: To highlight the cutbacks in daytime services and the need to facilitate and support
existing structures and services.
Agreed: To support the establishment of residential crisis stabilisation/detoxification units that
target people with problematic poly-substance use (including alcohol) and multiple needs.
Agreed: There is a need to engage more GPs, moving from different levels (1-2) of service. The
implementation of the relevant recommendations of the report on the Opioid Treatment Protocol
by Professor Michael Farrell and Professor Joe Barry will assist in this respect.
Agreed: To support, in principle, the introduction of a safe injecting facility pilot project, based on
good practice.
Agreed: To develop a public information/communication strategy to help address the negative
perceptions of the city as an unsafe place to be. This should be evidence-based and informed by
accurate facts, both about the nature of the problems that exist and the existing responses to
them.
Secure stakeholder support,
plan and pilot the provision of
Medically Supervised Injecting
Centres.
Secure resources for and pilot
Low Threshold Residential
Stabilisation Services.
Dawn Russell
Head of Services
Ana Liffey Drug Project
www.aldp.ie
www.drugs.ie