Legal or not, drugs and addiction play a significant role in the lives of many who are impacted by HIV/AIDS. Likewise, the majority of residents at the Dr. Peter Centre are no exception. One of the most commonly used drugs I have witnessed being used are cigarettes. Within the Centre, there are two residence floors. Each respective floor has their own outdoor patio area exclusively for smoking. If a resident wants a smoke, they would have to ask the nursing staff for their cigarettes and lighters, and proceed to the patio. With the exception of seeing a therapist on the balcony with a resident, that outdoor area is strictly limited to residents.
The negative effects of smoking cigarettes are well-documented, as about 70% of all people who experiment with smoking become addicted (Pinel, 2011). Over long term, the consequences of tobacco use is characterized as Smoker’s Syndrome. This includes chest pain, susceptibility to infections of the respiratory system, coughing, wheezing, and difficult breathing (Pinel, 2011). In combination with the physiological effects of HIV such as pneumonia, weight loss, and general tiredness (“Signs & Symptoms”, n.d.), it evidently heightens the effects tobacco has on the body. Often times, I wonder how it is like for nursing staff and therapists to work in a healthcare setting in which they are exposed to second-hand smoke. Despite the fact that smoking is confined to the patio, the scent of cigarettes and tobacco can linger indoors. Are they accustomed to it? How much of a risk is second-hand smoke to them, or do they consider it to be a typical workplace hazard?
Questions aside, one of the more interesting things I have learned about the Dr. Peter Centre is that they have a nurse-supervised injection facility. This is a lesser known fact about the Centre, and especially in comparison to Insite. From its website: “Insite has been a safe, health-focused place where people inject drugs and connect to health care services – from primary care to treat disease and infection, to addiction counselling and treatment, to housing and community supports” (“Insite, Supervised Injection Site”, n.d.). Since opening its doors a decade ago, Insite has never received a shortage of attention, especially with a Supreme Court ruling over its legality (“An Overview of Insite – 10 Years Later”, n.d.). However, the facility at the Centre has received little media attention, as it “is part of a larger spectrum of care under the ‘comfort care’ model developed by Dr. Peter Jepson-Young” (“Dr. Peter Centre Hopes to Serve as Model for Safe-Injection Facilities”, 2008). In the same article, the Centre’s director, Maxine Davis, notes “that supervised-injection service is just a very small part of what we do in a greater health-care context”. In a publication Davis contributed to The Globe and Mail, she rationales that the safe injection room is a safer alternative for those that struggled with detox and abstinence (“Integrating a Supervised Injection Site Into Health Care – and Community”, 2012). In abstinent addicts, stress, a single exposure to the formerly abused drug, and exposure to environmental cues are three main causes of relapse (Pinel, 2011). Considering how living with illness is a significant source of stress, one can understand how much of a struggle detox can be for this population. Although not optimal, having a safe zone for drug usage is safer than in an unsafe environment. Of course, using needles or other instruments from an unsafe area is highly risky- contracting illness is inevitable.
Evidently, everyone is forbidden to enter into the “harm reduction room”, which is tucked away within each floor. I have no knowledge of who uses the room, nor have I been at the Centre when/if a nurse was supervising a resident. It’s also interesting to also see how the harm reduction room doesn’t receive the same amount of criticism as Insite has, even though they perform the same functions. With Montreal getting the stamp of approval for four new safe injection sites, it will be interesting to see what the future of addiction and treatment will be like in Canada. Overall, the prevalence of drug usage within the Centre by its residents has got me thinking about health and the issues surrounding illegal drugs.
References
AIDS.gov. (n.d.). Signs & Symptoms. Retrieved from http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/signs-and-symptoms/
Davis, Maxine. (2013, Apr 12). Integrating a Supervised Injection Site Into Health Care – and Community. Retrieved from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/integrating-a-supervised-injection-site-into-health-care—and-community/article4099569/
Pinel, J. (2011). Biopsychology: Eighth Edition. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
The Canadian Press. (2013, Dec 11). Montreal to Get 4 Supervised Injection Sites. CBC. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-to-get-4-supervised-injection-sites-1.2460681
Vancouver Costal Health. (n.d.). An Overview of Insite- 10 Years Later. Retrieved from http://supervisedinjection.vch.ca/media-centre/an-overview-of-insite—10-years-later
Vancouver Costal Health. (n.d.). Insite- Supervised Injection Site. Retrieved from http://supervisedinjection.vch.ca/media-centre/an-overview-of-insite—10-years-later
Wong, Jackie. (2008, Jun 18). Dr. Peter Centre Hopes to Serve as Model for Safe-Injection Facilities. Retrieved from http://www.drpeter.org/media/080619_we_sis_article.pdf
