'Compassion fatigue': Overdose prevention services in Duncan overwhelmed by demand

The overdose prevention site in Duncan, B.C., needs a new home again. It's the second time in two years that the site has outgrown its spaceand overstayed its welcome.

Island Health is looking for a new location for the service, and theCowichanValley branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), which operates the site, has been looking as well.

The current site, located on the corner of a residential street, and across from a shopping area, has been overwhelmed with clients. An average of 120 people visit the site to use any manner of drugs during the six hours it's open each day. Staff are on hand with clean needles, naloxone, and oxygen masks.

James Tousignant says the site is vital, becauseit saves lives but he knows it's tough on the neighbourhood too. Tousignant, the executive director of CowichanValley CMHA,says even the neighbours who believe in the serviceare suffering from "compassion fatigue."

He's heard from local residents who don't sit on their porch anymorebecause of the disruptive behaviourthey see on their street, and when users of the site gather on the sidewalk, neighbours have a hard time getting through the crowd.

Residents afraid to go down the sidewalk

Russ Morganlives down the street, and says he's seen elderly neighbours afraid to go down the sidewalk. He says there are often people fighting,dealing and and using drugs and even using public property as a toilet. So he's eager to see it go: "It's been two years.We've done our time here."

But where to go is the challenge.

CMHA, Island Health, and the City of Duncan know what they're looking for: a space that's easy forusers to reach, close to other health and social services and in a place where there will be minimal disruption. That can be a tough ask even in a big city and even more challenging in a small one like Duncan.

It's something Island Health is figuring out, as it works to address the opioid crisis in semi-urban communities. ButDr. Shannon Waters, the medical health officer for the Cowichan Valley, says it's clear there's a need.

"The numbers we have seen have been illuminatingand have caused us to realize that we have an unmet need," she told CBC News.

Island Health is hoping to have services up and running in a new locationas early as Dec.1.