North Richmond injecting room: 124 overdoses per month, three times more than Sydney’s

There are more than three times as many people a month overdosing from drugs at the North Richmond injecting room than at Sydney’s Kings Cross facility.

More than three times as many people a month are overdosing on drugs at the trouble-plagued North Richmond injecting room, compared to a similar facility in Sydney’s notorious Kings Cross.

The Herald Sun can reveal there has been 43 overdoses per month at the Kings Cross injecting room since opening in 2001, compared to a whopping 124 per month at North Richmond since the trial began in 2018.

It comes after the state government introduced legislation in March to make the North Richmond injecting room permanent.

The legislation will be debated in state parliament next week.

Several residents have also raised “serious concerns” in the past two weeks, saying there had been overdoses and safety issues nearby the injecting room.

North Richmond residents continue to raise concerns about overdoses and ongoing safety issues nearby the injecting room.

Confronting footage shows a man, who residents say was “heavily” drug affected, acting erratically outside the gates of the primary school last week.

Images also show people openly injecting and passed out metres from the primary school.

North Richmond resident Sharon Neven, who has lived in the area for more than 20 years, said the amenity of the injecting room was a “disgrace”.

“Not to detract from the work that the injecting room does, but it is my firm belief that North Richmond Community Health has hurt the ‘brand’ of injecting rooms and is the sole reason no one wants one in their area,” Ms Neven said.

“The government’s stubbornness insisting it stays permanently next to a primary school has tarnished the idea of injecting rooms so badly that no one in Melbourne wants one.”

Another longtime resident told the Herald Sun that he had seen at least three people overdose near the injecting room in recent weeks.

“I saw one man lying on the floor with a needle sticking out of his arm, it was confronting but no one is listening to our serious concerns that we are continuously raising with authorities,” he said.

“I’ve also seen several ambulances outside the injecting room, they need more support workers outside the facility to assist these vulnerable individuals.”

A Richmond local said they had seen at least three people overdose near the injecting room in recent weeks.

Another Richmond local said he had noticed a sharp increase in the amount of ambulances being called to care for those in and around the Lennox St site.

“It’s confronting seeing all this happen in front of the kids at the primary school that have to see it every day,” he said.

“The rooms just let them shoot ice and heroin, then the workers check if they’re not dead then literally push them out into the public when they are at their most vulnerable.

“That’s why everyone’s upset.”

Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association executive officer Sam Biondo said Victoria’s heroin market was the largest in the country, with there likely to be a greater demand.

“With this in mind, the higher rate of response to overdose in North Richmond highlights the lifesaving impact of this service,” Mr Biondo said.

Opposition mental health spokeswoman Emma Kealy said: “Labor have refused to release key data from the injecting room, and now it appears the data they have released lacks integrity and is deliberately misleading.”

Another Richmond local said there had been a sharp increase in the amount of ambulances called to the area.

“If Labor has nothing to hide they should release John Ryan’s full report including all supporting data and reports provided to government,” she said.

A state government spokeswoman said the Richmond Medically Supervised Injecting Room was saving lives, changing lives and keeping people who use drugs safe from overdose and off the streets.

“The facility has managed more than 6000 overdoses inside the injecting room, and has saved more than 60 lives,” the spokeswoman said.

“We know there is work to be done to further boost safety and amenity in the North Richmond precinct and that is what we’re doing.”

Originally published as North Richmond injecting room: 124 overdoses per month, three times more than Sydney’s