North Richmond Community Health has welcomed new research published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, confirming heroin-related ambulance call-outs in Richmond and surrounds have fallen by 70.7 per cent since the Medically Supervised Injecting Room opened in 2018 – from around 48 incidents a month to just 14 by end 2023.
North Richmond Community Health CEO Simone Heald said the findings, based on Monash University and Turning Point analysis of National Ambulance Surveillance System data, reinforced what frontline staff have seen every day since the service began.
“This data shows the facility is doing exactly what it was designed to do, and that’s saving lives, keeping people out of ambulances and relieving pressure on the broader health system, and reducing the harm that heroin use causes to the whole community,” Ms Heald said.
“Fewer overdoses in our community is a benefit for everyone, not just our clients, and we remain committed to our life-saving work.”
Ms Heald said the research strengthened the case for continued investment in the service and evidence-based drug harm reduction more broadly.
See the research here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395926002574
