Our aims
Save lives
Reduce the number of injuries caused by injecting drugs
Connect with people, welcome them and provide holistic support with dignity and respect
Step in during all drug overdoses and provide assistance
Provide access to health and social welfare services for people who are marginalised and find it hard to access this type of support
Promote awareness and understanding in the community
Contribute to a safe, healthy and comfortable environment for the local community
Enhance the health community’s knowledge about injecting drug use.
The benefits of the centre
Research has shown that supervised injecting facilities like Uniting MSIC have many benefits for their clients, as well as the local community. Some key facts and figures in independent evaluations of the Uniting MSIC have shown that the centre is making a positive difference in the lives of many people. The following statistics reflect the operation of Uniting MSIC to May 2015.
Approximate number of clients since Uniting MSIC opened: 15,400.
About 70% of the people registered with Uniting MSIC have never accessed any local health service before coming to us. This shows that Uniting MSIC provides a unique and important entry point for access to health and social welfare services in Kings Cross.
Since opening we have supervised more than 965,000 injections.
Number of injections a day: Ranges from 140–250. Currently about 180
Number of overdoses successfully managed: More than 6000
Number of fatalities: 0
We’ve taken the pressure off emergency services with an early study showing the number of ambulance call-outs to Kings Cross dropping by 80%.
We are well accepted: 70% of local businesses and 78% of local residents support the centre.
More than 12,000 referrals have been accepted by our clients, connecting them to health, drug treatment and social welfare services. Among our frequently attending clients, 80% have ultimately accepted a referral for addiction treatment.
All of the other 20% of frequently attending clients have had a referral offered to them but not accepted as yet.
Most have agreed to talk about their situation with a staff member, who outlines the benefits of treatment. Importantly, we continue to work with everyone we see.
The service has been independently evaluated multiple times. All results show it is successful and cost-effective.
There are over 110 peer reviewed papers on medically supervised injecting that show facilities like this work.