Today, Star health, along with 42 leading health, community, specialist and AOD organisations, and prominent individuals who are signatories to a statement supporting the trial of a Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) in Victoria, call on the Government to act on this initiative.

The release today of the Parliamentary Report into this issue provides an opportunity for government to accept the overwhelming evidence and support backed by a wide range of experts and prominent organisations, including three Victorian Coroners, as well as the local community and traders of Yarra, to implement an MSIC within the City of Yarra.

Mr Greg Denham, Executive Officer of the Yarra Drug and Health Forum, which for 20 years has been active in the Yarra Community says, “the evidence is clear that MSICs reduce fatal overdose, improve access to health services including alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment, improve amenity through a reduction in street-based injecting and reduce costs to government.”

Mr Denham continues, “time and again research conducted among the roughly 100 MSICs globally has indicated that they do not increase street crime and do not engender increased substance use.’’

“The time has come to accept the reality that in those parts of Yarra where street-based injecting and related harms are rife and plainly visible, these harms will persist and more families will lose loved ones, and the local community will continue to endure the daily trauma of witnessing and responding to preventable fatal overdose.”

It is time for the government to hear the call from the impacted communities and act on the evidence cited by the many experts which calls for this measure. Ongoing delay will result in preventable deaths.

You can read the Joint statement HERE

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