This is the letter I sent to the Prime Minister

In the spirit of letting people know how I'm doing on my change, I thought I'd report that I finished and sent off my letter to the PM. You can send a form letter or your own letter at www.communityinsite.ca if you want to help. Here's mine:

Dear Prime Minister,

I am writing to urge you to keep Vancouver's Supervised Injection Site open. By now, I am sure you have received many letters from people in the community who support the site. I know you have seen the scientific research showing that Insite saves lives, reduces infections, and helps addicts to access detox and treatment.

I would like to give you my personal perspective on Insite. I am a community health nurse, currently working in HIV and sexually transmitted disease prevention and control. I’ve also worked at the Supervised Injection Site, and I was able to see for myself the difference it made in people's lives.

I have seen people overdose so severely that I am certain they would have died if they had not been injecting in a place like Insite, with medical staff and equipment available immediately. I have seen people’s faces turn blue right in front of me, seen people stop breathing and lie limply on the floor. I have also seen those people come back to life, shocked and blinking. It isn't actually complicated to deal with overdose, but it's most important to be there, fast, and that's why Insite is successful.

I got the chance to provide health care to Canadians who are in serious need. Many of the people who use Insite are hard-core addicts, the people that are really hard for health care to connect with. These are Canadians with serious health issues like HIV, heart infections, and cellulitis. I know I cared for people with complex wounds that would not access nursing anywhere else.

But it’s not only nursing care. Insite provides really entrenched drug users with the opportunity to connect in an easy way with counselors and support staff. I remember spending many hours of my work at Insite talking to patients. Talking about maybe going to the hospital, or detox, or how to stay safe that night. It makes a real difference for people to know that someone cares if they live or die.

Please let these Canadians know that it matters if they live or die.

Sincerely,

Sarah