The last couple of weeks have had a special focus on harm reduction services in Victoria, and what we can do to advance the effort to reduce the spread of HIV and Hep-C.  It is tricky, as we try to balance all interests in the community.  A Report has been tabled, and sucessful meetings with Aids Vancouver Island and Vancouver Island Health Authority have been organized.  Harm reduction Victoria presented to the Victoria Police Board and Vic PD has engaged in the discussion.

The Coalition to End Homelessness commissioned a report that was delivered- a Harm reduction action plan for Victoria.  It is a great review of what exists and gaps.  and some interesting questions are posed and implied. 

We have extensive mobile and secondary distribution sites, but the call is for more, and for multiple needle distribution fixed sites.

As we move nore and more of the street entrenched into housing, can we link harm reduction services to the facilities, in a planned and organized way, as opposed to requiring residents to hit the streets to seek out needles and other items.

A decentrilized or distributed system is best - harm reduction services should be prevalent and small scale,  We also need fixed sites that would run like the Dr Peter Centre in Vancouver -  a health services approach.

As we head into the new year, it will be imortant to see if we as a whole community can pull the pieces togeather and put i place a sucessful system - we need to do this, but we need to do it right.