MSIC wins national award
The Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) has won the ‘Excellence in Treatment and Support’ award at this year’s National Drug and Alcohol Awards.
The win was announced in Parliament House in Canberra last Friday night.
Since opening in May 2001, the MSIC has managed more than 2,700 drug overdoses without a single fatality. There has also been a staggering 80% drop in the number of ambulances called to the Kings Cross postcode since the MSIC has been operational.
“When staff finish work at the end of the day they feel pretty good knowing that a life was saved, however it also serves as a stark reminder to us all how dangerous drug use can be, and that human life is not just precious but fragile” said Colette McGrath, MSIC Clinical Services Manager.
“Everyone deserves a chance to turn their lives around and the MSIC gives many injecting drug users just that, an opportunity that would otherwise not have occurred.”
The Centre has made nearly eight thousand referrals to local health and social welfare services, about half of which have been for drug treatment.
While the Centre has its critics and is kept on only a trial basis by the State Government, most Kings Cross locals support it.
“The majority of businesses and residents in Kings Cross have consistently supported the MSIC – they supported it before it opened and they support it even more now because they’ve seen just how effective the service is,” said Medical Director Marianne Jauncey.
The Centre is funded from the Proceeds of Crime. The Awards are sponsored by the Alcohol Education & Rehabilitation Foundation, a leading grant-giving body for community groups and programs within the alcohol sector.
by Michael Gormly
