Maple Overdose Prevention Site

Known as one of the MOPS to those living in the Downtown Eastside, Maple Overdose Prevention Site is tucked away in the side alley of the Maple Hotel, close to the Needle Depot.

PHS currently provides support and direct service for two Overdose Prevention Sites (OPS) in the heart of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside – the Maple and Molson OPS – along with Insite Safe Injection Site and Victoria’s Johnson Street Supervised Consumption Site. The Maple and Molson sites were opened in direct response to BC’s opioid overdose health crisis, declared a public health emergency in December 2016.

Overdose Prevention Sites provide access to a clean, safe space where injections are witnessed and overdoses are responded to. Staff are trained to monitor people injecting opiates and stimulants, recognize and reverse overdose, and to provide support and coordination of resources such as housing, healthcare and safe supply treatment to participants.

Since December 2016, OPS have recorded 130,000 visits and reversed more than 1,000 overdose events. Trained staff (peers, mental health workers and nurses) witness consumption, teach ‘best practice’ education for drug consumption, and offer programs to access alternatives to the toxic drug supply.

PHS is providing a robust alley overdose response with Spikes on Bikes in area until midnight and a foot patrol deployed from the Maple from then until 7 a.m. daily. Both provide clean supplies and check on people in the alleys, responding to overdoses.

Update

Maple OPS operations have moved across the street to the Molson OPS. The hours of operation remain the same.

Extra staff are deployed at the Maple OPS site to ensure we provide people in the alley with harm reduction supplies and overdose prevention 24 hours per day.