InnerChange Foundation

New England Journal of Medicine Publishes Results of Groundbreaking BC Addiction Research Trial

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:54:08 -0800

Let them take heroin, study says

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:40:44 -0800

By Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times To improve the chances that hard-core heroin addicts will stick with their treatment for opioid dependence and forgo the use of illicit drugs, they should take ... heroin. That's the controversial conclusion of a study being published in Thursday's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. Heroin The study focused on addicts who took heroin for at least five years and had already failed two attempts at treatment. One of those attempts had to involve methadone, which helps manage heroin cravings and blocks the drug's euphoric effects.

Heroin helps addicts in recovery: study

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:39:10 -0800

More effective than methadone. 251 Montreal, Vancouver drug users monitored By TIFFANY CRAWFORD, Canwest News Service A Canadian study that found giving heroin to hard-core drug addicts at a supervised clinic leads to a higher rate of recovery than giving them methadone was published yesterday in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. The study, titled North American Opiate Medication Initiative, studied whether heroin-assisted therapy benefits people who suffer from opiate addictions. The study was released in October 2008, but was not published until yesterday. The NAOMI report concluded that injecting addicts with diacetylmorphine, the active ingredient in heroin, was more effective than oral methadone.

New England Journal of Medicine Publishes Groundbreaking Study Finding

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:56:32 -0800

Read the US Drug Policy Alliance press release

Treating heroin addiction with heroin seems viable

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:35:47 -0800

Byline: Gene Emery, Reuters Injections of the active ingredient of heroin work far better than oral methadone for keeping addicts in treatment, away from illegal drugs and out of trouble, Canadian researchers reported on Wednesday. But the researchers cautioned that the treatment carries a risk of overdose and seizures, so the injections should only be done in a medical setting. "Methadone, provided according to best-practice guidelines, should remain the treatment of choice for the majority of patients," Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes of the University of British Columbia and colleagues wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Study Backs Heroin to Treat Addiction

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:33:32 -0800

By BENEDICT CAREY, New York Times The safest and most effective treatment for hard-core heroin addicts who fail to control their habit using methadone or other treatments may be their drug of choice, in prescription form, researchers are reporting after the first rigorous test of the approach performed in North America. For years, European countries like Switzerland and the Netherlands have allowed doctors to provide some addicts with prescription heroin as an alternative to buying drugs on the street. The treatment is safe and keeps addicts out of trouble, studies have found, but it is controversial -- not only because the drug is illegal but also because policy makers worry that treating with heroin may exacerbate the habit. The study, appearing in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, may put some of those concerns to rest.

When all else fails, there's free heroin

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:59:07 -0800

Bold experiment seeks ways to stabilize addicts' lives By Ethan Baron, The Province The federal government is paying for free heroin -- again. Controversial research that involves giving free heroin to Vancouver addicts is about to enter a second phase, this time with a treatment regimen never before tried anywhere in the world. Starting next spring, addicts reporting to a Downtown Eastside clinic will be given, for injection, either free heroin or the opium-based pharmaceutical drug hydromorphone, also called Dilaudid. Midway through their one-year stints in SALOME (Study to Assess Longer-term Opioid Medication Effectiveness), addicts will be switched to orally administered formulations of the same drugs. A total of 322 addicts will each go through a year of treatment, with the three-year project costing $8 million.

From downtown ashes to a Canadian Phoenix?

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:57:21 -0800

We need to assure the human right of health for those still in the shadow By Dr. Michael Krausz, B.C. Leadership Chair for Addictions Research, originally published in The Province No one should be surprised about the situation in the heart of Vancouver -- the growing homelessness, the lack and quality of services, the lack of access and capacity. Nobody should be surprised, because it is not a priority and never was. Those on whom society has turned its back -- the mentally ill, intravenous drug users and cognitively impaired people -- are still living in the shadows of society, in the darkness of back alleys and in the lonely destitution of single-room-occupancy hotels. They die after an often miserable life, on average 20 to 30 years earlier than those living only blocks away, with no superhero at their side. The world will come to Vancouver and will ask a lot of questions. What answers would I like to hear and to give in a few months' time?

Reynolds: SALOME a new way out for addicts

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:54:46 -0800

By John Reynolds, originally published in The Province One of the reasons I am a proud supporter of Vancouver's Inner Change Foundation and research like the Study to Assess Longer-term Opioid Medication Effectiveness (SALOME) is because our health-care system needs to offer a wider array of effective treatment options for some of our most vulnerable citizens suffering from chronic drug addiction. By providing a new option that stabilizes addicts, transitions to legal oral medication and offers psycho-social treatment to address the underlying causes of addiction, SALOME represents hope and something average- thinking people can participate in to help our neighbours in the Downtown Eastside and beyond. It is about time that we end the stigma around addiction and start thinking about this as treatable illness instead of a moral failing. SALOME is a client-centred, integrative treatment model.

Provincial report asks government to recognize addiction as a disease

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:13:08 -0800

By: Jackie Wong, West Ender Approximately one in 10 people in B.C. suffers from some form of addiction or dependence, and 30 per cent of people diagnosed with mental illness will also have a substance-abuse disorder in their lifetime, according to a report released by the B.C. Medical Association (BCMA). Given these statistics, the report calls on the provincial government to formally recognize addiction as a chronic, treatable disease. Such a designation could pave the way toward better treatment, says Dr. Shao-Hua Lu, a BCMA addictions psychiatrist and the lead author of the paper. Continue reading: http://www.westender.com/articles/entry/provincial-report-asks-government-to-recognize-addiction-as-a-disease

Vancouver's Inner Change Foundation Strongly Supports BCMA Call to Recognize Addiction as a Chronic Disease

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:10:17 -0800

"Investments in treatment can also hit gangs in the pocket book" The Inner Change Foundation, a Vancouver-based society supporting the development of innovative drug treatment solutions, today expressed their strong support for the British Columbia Medical Association (BCMA)'s call to recognize addiction as a chronic disease. At the same time, the Foundation also noted that investments in proven treatment can save money by hitting organized crime in the pocket book. "We agree with BCMA that governments need to focus new investments on treatment that will pay dividends for the individual addict - and society as a whole," said Inner Change Executive Director Trish Walsh. "The status quo is not meeting the basic needs of our most vulnerable citizens and feeding the growing profits of organized crime in the Lower Mainland." The Inner Change Foundation says the solution to the problem must include strategically breaking the connection between the personal addiction and the profit of organized crime.

Bill Good Show (Audio Archives)

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:06:12 -0800

The InnerChange Foundation was featured on the Bill Good Show (CKNW Radio), March 5th 10am. To listen search their Audio Archives: http://www.cknw.com/stationshared/audiovault.aspx

Can pill replace heroin for addicts?

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:04:56 -0800

Featured on: ctvbc.ca Researchers behind a controversial approach to Vancouver's drug problem are trying to launch a new study. Hundreds of people took part in the NAOMI project, which stands for North American Opiate Medication Initiative. The project provided drug addicts with heroin, methadone and a pain medication called Dilaudid. Rob Vincent took part in NAOMI. He says his health improved and he was able to work. "I didn't have to worry about waking up in the morning and worry about where I'm going to come up with the money to get better now," he said. Continue reading: http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090216/BC_Pill_Replace_Heroin_090216/20090216/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

We need compassionate P3s for the Downtown Eastside

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:02:16 -0800

By Trish Walsh and Michael Krausz, Special to the Sun When we consider public-private partnerships (P3s) in British Columbia, we usually think of rapid transit lines, bridges and economic infrastructure. We don't normally associate P3s with things like drug addiction and mental illness on the Downtown Eastside. But we should. Similarly, when we consider private involvement in health care, we usually think user fees or for-profit clinics. We don't normally associate private health care investment with helping the most vulnerable in society. But we should. Corporate social responsibility is not something new to Vancouver. In fact, you could argue our business community has led the way. There are many examples of compassionate public-private-partnerships happening in B.C. now -- particularly related to construction of social housing.

Shame if we fail to pursue a treatment system that gives real hope to addicts

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:03:37 -0800

By Trish Walsh, The Province What would you say if the government spent approximately 11 million of your tax dollars to prove a new treatment helped heroin addicts out of their death spiral -- and then let the report sit on the shelf? As outraged as we may be, think of how an addict in the program may feel. Hope is on the horizon and one day you show up for treatment and the doors are closed. This scenario is playing itself out in Vancouver right now. Three months ago, University of B.C. and St. Paul's Hospital researchers released the long-awaited results of the North American Opiate Medication Initiative (NAOMI).

Valerie Coles chosen as one of "2008's Most Inspirational Women"

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:23:44 -0800

InnerChange Foundation Director Valerie Coles was chosen of one of the "2008's Most Inspirational Women" by Atira Women's Resource Society.

Opiate trial results are encouraging

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:10:58 -0800

We have to overcome our squeamishness and start using what works for addiction Vancouver Sun Editorial Published: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 Although heroin maintenance might appear to be a daring new treatment for heroin addicts, it's neither daring nor new. Indeed, the United States, of all countries, ran narcotic maintenance programs until 1925, and the United Kingdom engaged in opiate maintenance for much of the 20th century. Given the success of Britain's programs, many other European countries, including Switzerland, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands, have conducted scientific studies on the efficacy of opiate maintenance, and have found that it has had significant positive outcomes for both addicts and their communities.

Painkiller works for heroin addiction

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:05:59 -0800

Dilaudid as effective as heroin, and more effective than methadone, for addicts, study shows Chad Skelton, Vancouver Sun Published: Saturday, October 18, 2008 A commonly prescribed drug used in cough medicine is more effective than methadone -- and as effective as heroin itself -- at stabilizing the lives of heroin addicts and reducing their use of street drugs, according to a new study from Vancouver. Since March 2007, the North American Opiate Medication Initiative has been prescribing 115 addicts in both Vancouver and Montreal with medical-grade heroin to see if they would fare any better than a control group of 111 on methadone. The results, released Friday, concluded addicts on heroin stuck with treatment longer and had more success than the methadone group -- no surprise, since similar studies in Europe found the same thing.

Providing safe, daily doses helps addicts, study finds

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:04:09 -0800

JANE ARMSTRONG With a report from The Canadian Press October 18, 2008 VANCOUVER -- Most of the hardened heroin addicts who were given free, daily doses of the illegal drug over a 12-month period underwent a positive transformation, committing far fewer crimes while their physical and mental health steadily improved, according to researchers. Addicts also cut their illegal heroin use by 70 per cent, on average, according to researchers from the North American Opiate Medication Initiative. The results of the trial, said Martin Schechter, the project's main investigator, show that hard-core addicts - those with the dimmest chances of recovery - can stabilize their lives when heroin is made free and administered by teams of health-care professionals. "Heroin-assisted therapy is a safe and effective treatment for people with chronic heroin addiction who have not benefited from previous treatment," Dr. Schechter told a news conference in Vancouver.

Heroin experiment remains in bureaucratic limbo

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:40:56 -0800

InnerChange program supporter says federal health minister may be responsible for slow progress Mike Howell, Vancouver Courier Published: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Nineteen months after it was launched, the non-profit society created to drive Mayor Sam Sullivan's drug treatment plan has yet to receive approval from the federal government to begin trials. And the former executive director of the Inner Change Society wonders whether federal Health Minister Tony Clement's continuing criticisms of the city's supervised injection site is linked to the lack of action. "He has definite concerns about [the mayor's] project, and he's said so in many different ways," said Richard Mulcaster, who remains a board member of the society. "He doesn't seem to want to answer letters or meet or talk about this. So you kind of feel that it's obviously not within his vision or moral whatever it is."

Dr. Brian Day (President, Canadian Medical Association)

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:37:31 -0800

Dr. Brian Day (President, Canadian Medical Association) View letter

News report: Promising results from Australian substitution treatment trials

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:23:49 -0800

>> News report: Promising results from Australian substitution treatment trials

Video report: Substitution treatment trials in Australia

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:19:28 -0800

BCMA letters debate goals of InnerChange

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:08:57 -0800

BCMA letters debate goals of InnerChange

Letter submitted by doctors to the BC Medical Journal, Dec.13, 2007 (pdf)

InnerChange responds to BC Medical Journal, Jan. 7, 2008 (pdf)

Substitution Treatment Program Appoints New Executive Director

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 14:49:03 -0800

Inner Change, the society that is setting up a drug substitution program in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES), has appointed Richard Mulcaster Executive director. Mulcaster was President and CEO of the Vancouver Foundation for fourteen years. Don Rix, Chairman of the Inner Change Society board says Mulcaster is a superb fit. “Our board is thrilled with Richard’s appointment,” says Rix. “Richard is a person who can bring together community organizations, funders, government and other stakeholders and get them all working towards a common solution.” Mulcaster says his role at the Vancouver Foundation gave him the opportunity to work with many of the groups in the DTES as a funder. Now he will have the chance to be involved on a more direct, grass roots level. “I have developed many relationships in the DTES and built up some trust. Now I want to build on those relationships to help solve one of the most serious problems facing Vancouver.” Mulcaster is taking over from Lois Johnson, who has been Executive Director of the society since February 12 of this year. Johnson says she is very comfortable handing over the reigns to Mulcaster. “Richard is very familiar with the issues and the organizations working in the DTES. With our exceptional board and Richard providing the leadership, I believe Inner Change and the InnerChange project are in very capable hands.” Johnson has indicated she will continue to work with Inner Change in some capacity; however the Board and she have not yet determined a role. Mulcaster was with the Vancouver Foundation from 1979 to 2004, serving as President and CEO for 14 years. Prior to that, he was a Project Officer at the Employment Development Branch of the Federal Government and a Country Director with Canada World Youth. Mulcaster has been involved with many community organizations including the Telus Vancouver Community Board, The Arts Umbrella and Vancouver’s Coalition for Crime Prevention and Drug Treatment. He was awarded the Governor General’s Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth and the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada in recognition of significant contribution to community and to Canada.