Vancouver Coastal Health said the new site offers ample indoor space, as well as an outdoor area that can be used for supervised inhalation
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Vancouver Coastal Health has announced a new location for the Thomus Donaghy overdose prevention site, its third in four years.
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The facility will be located at 900 Helmcken St., with the lease expected to begin June 1. Services, to be operated by RainCity Housing, are expected to start soon afterwards.
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The health authority said the new site, which was identified after an extensive search, offers ample indoor space, which it hopes would reduce outdoor congregation, and an outdoor area that can be used for supervised inhalation.
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The location is also well-suited because of its proximity to the Three Bridges community health centre, around the corner on Hornby Street, which offers primary health care and mental health and treatment.
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Sunrise
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St. Paul’s Hospital, which is about two blocks west, was not chosen as a location due to lack of space and the hospital’s planned move out of downtown Vancouver into its new facility in less than a year.
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The new site follows the closure of the clinic’s previous location in the 1000-block Howe Street in late January after the building owner asked the health authority to shut it down amid complaints. A temporary mobile site has since been operating in the area with limited services.
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Before that, the clinic operated for three years at 1101 Seymour St. before closing in 2024 after public backlash from nearby residents who said the facility contributed to crime and disorder in the Yaletown neighbourhood. The city did not renew the lease when it expired, prompting the move.
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The health authority said overdose prevention services can help connect people to treatment and reduce the risk of death.
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It said it chose the location based on public health data and demonstrated need. Vancouver City Centre, which includes downtown Vancouver, Fairview, False Creek, and parts of Kitsilano, has the second-highest rate of overdose deaths in the region after the Downtown Eastside.
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To date, the Thomus Donaghy Overdose Prevention Site has recorded more than 149,600 visits and responded to 480 overdoses.
