Barcelona's safer injection facility-EVA: A harm reduction program lacking official support

EVA - Espacio de Venopuncion higienica Asistida - is the first safe injection facility (SIF) in Barcelona, Spain. Started on September 12, 2001, it began as a "poor relative" of DAVE -Dispositivo Asistencial de Venopuncion - in Madrid. EVA suffers from the general underfunding of its parent program, the Can Tunis outreach program, and it has no formal or material support from municipal authorities. This SIF can accommodate five drug injectors at one time and also operates as a mobile room for shelter, contact, and health education, addressing mainly those drug users who are at highest risk of overdose, HIV infection, violence, and death. The project offers consistent services provided by an array of health care and welfare professionals, and it is ready to intervene in overdose and/or crisis situations. To date, it has an excellent record in providing a safe environment for both its staff of health care professionals and its clients. Below the Can Tunis area in general, the outreach program, and EVA are described. The advantages, disadvantages, and what has been learned from working in this quarter of Barcelona with the injection drug using community is discussed. In closing, questions and proposals for future efforts are addressed.