A scientific evaluation of the Downtown Eastside’s unique women-only drug treatment program – one that is being threatened with closure at the end of November – shows that it has been remarkably successful in recruiting the most vulnerable women in the neighbourhood and reducing their overall drug use.
But Vancouver Coastal Health is dismissing those results and believes that the large involvement of the PHS (Portland Hotel Society) Community Services Society in the evaluation – which operates the program alongside the health authority – has biased the results.
The study by the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and PHS has not yet been formally made public, but is already on the Internet.
The evaluation of the Rainier Women’s Treatment Program shows that it has not only helped women address their addictions but has also diagnosed health conditions women were unaware of before therapy and reduced health risks associated with drug use. Additionally, the program has successfully connected its residents to community services they can continue to use after completing treatment.
The study also shows that the Rainier stands out when compared with another Greater Vancouver addiction centre.