West Dunbartonshire Council hope that a touring unit can help reduce the area’s high drug death rate.
The new Drug Harm Reduction Mobile Unit will take support into the heart of communities where losses have occurred.
Last year 28 people lost their lives in West Dunbartonshire due to overdose or other conditions related to drug abuse.
West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership is working to reduce this by engaging with drug users in their own community, offering basic medical care and practical advice on how to be safer when using drugs.
Providing clean needles, wound care, prescribing antibiotics and the life-saving drug Naloxone, the unit increases accessibility for people who may not seek help from a GP or hospital.
And the confidential service aims to establish trust with the people they help and in time encourage them to enter a treatment programme.
Some participants who have already taken that step to recovery joined the councillors on their visit to the unit – and believe it will keep people safer.
Brian, from Bellsmyre, said: “This is crucial because people don’t want to be seen going to health services in the town. There’s a lot of shame and stigma.
“Instead of that humiliation of walking into a pharmacy to get clean needles, it was easier using a second-hand one.
“Last year I had an abscess and I knew I should go the doctors but I kept putting it off until it burst inside me. Even then I still didn’t want to go to the hospital because I was worried they might tell the police or social work. So to have something more anonymous on your doorstep will make a big difference to keeping users safer.”
Stephanie from Dumbarton added: “People can’t just be hidden away or isolated like a leper. It’s good that we’re looking at it honestly now. Too many people are dying.”
Councillor Michelle McGinty, chair of West Dunbartonshire HSCP, said: “Going into the heart of the community to meet the people that we need to reach is a massive step forward.
“It’s about much more than just getting clean needles. At this unit people can have their wounds tended to or access antibiotics to prevent infection.
“Every drug-related death is a tragedy and our community has suffered far too much already.
“We are continuing to explore every option to prevent further loss. This mobile harm reduction unit is a significant moment.”
