INSITE'S SAVING DOLLARS AS WELL AS LIVES: STUDY

Health Care Could Be Spared $18 Million In Costs

Vancouver's supervised drug-injection site should save the Canadian
health-care system at least $14 million, even without counting the
benefits of preventing drug-overdose deaths, according to a new study.

The controversial Insite facility will also save hundreds of lives, or
significantly extend them, by preventing HIV infection, the report
finds.

The study was published yesterday in the Canadian Medical Association
Journal by Dr. Ahmed Bayoumi, a physician specializing in HIV at St.
Michael's Hospital in Toronto, and Gregory Zaric from the Ivey School
of Business at the University of Western Ontario in London.

"We wanted to look at the economic benefits as well as the health
benefits, because the savings in health-care costs should be an
important part of the decision-making process," Bayoumi told The
Province yesterday.

"What we have shown is that an investment up-front saves on
health-care dollars down the line." The authors used computer
simulation to estimate the impact of Insite on survival rates of HIV
and hepatitis-C infection, referral to methadone maintenance treatment
and associated costs over 10 years.

If only one health benefit -- decreased needle sharing -- was
considered, the computer model estimated Canadians would save $14
million in health costs and 920 life-years.

When two other possible health benefits of Insite were factored in --
increased use of safe-injection sites and increased referral to
methadone maintenance --the savings were $18 million and a gain of
1,175 life-years.

The study didn't factor in controversial issues such as money saved if
addicts are referred successfully to detox and treatment facilities,
since treatment beds are not available to most addicts.

Bayoumi visited Insite for the first time two weeks
ago.

"It's an impressive facility . . . it's a very quiet, professional
clinic. There's an intuitive sense that there's a lot of rapport
between the staff and the drug users, which makes it possible for
alternatives to drugs to be explored." The federal government has been
lukewarm about continuing Insite's mandate.

"This study ultimately brings one more piece of information when
deciding the fate of Insite," said Zaric.