(File Photo)

By Sheldon Spackman

Continuing To Operate

Red Deer Overdose Prevention Site granted six-month extension

Sep 17, 2020 | 4:38 PM

Red Deer’s temporary Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) has been granted another six-month extension to continue operating.

Sara Fleck, Clinical Manager at Turning Point which operates the facility, says they were granted the extension last week following a meeting with their provincial counterparts and Alberta Health.

“They let us know that they are still waiting for the results of the SCS (Supervised Consumption Services) review and some of the recommendations that would come out of that process and that they were extending our operations as is until March 31, 2021,” says Fleck.

She says they have no indication at this point as to what the results of the province’s SCS review will mean for them beyond March 31.

Red Deer’s OPS was established temporarily on Oct. 1, 2018 to help save lives in response to the rapidly rising opioid crisis in Canada. It is considered a low threshold health care service that provides a place for individuals to orally consume, snort or inject pre-obtained drugs in a hygienic environment under the supervision of trained staff.

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Individuals receive basic health care, harm reduction teaching and referrals to internal and external health and social services.

Work was underway by Turning Point to establish a permanent SCS facility at 5233 54 Avenue when the province puts those plans on hold pending the outcome of their review.

“The extension is good news because we’ve definitely seen an increase in the unpredictability of drugs since COVID has hit,” says Fleck. “Sometimes the drugs are OK and somewhat predictable for the clients, and then sometimes they’re very unpredictable and we have spikes in overdoses that require fairly advanced resuscitation.”

As a result, Fleck admits that many of their clients have been very nervous of late.

“They’re scared about the possibility that they might be the ones having to respond to their friends and loved ones again if we close. So our staff is definitely relieved and feeling like we are able to continue to provide this essential service for people who use substances as one part of the strategy in the spectrum of services for people who use drugs.”

Turning Point also distributes Naloxone kits, which are used to reverse opioid overdoses, and trains people in their use.

Fleck says early on during the COVID-19 pandemic there was a decrease in OPS site visits due to the physical distancing requirements. However, she says those numbers are on the rise once again.

“In August we saw 3,021 site visits, an average of 97 a day, and from 226 different individuals,” she points out. “Our overdose numbers are very sporadic. Last month we responded to 45 overdoses, which was a little bit lower than the previous month.

“So for the next six months, we’re just going to keep doing our best by referring people as we always have to other services, and just to make sure that they’re engaging with other health and social services that they may need to maximize their quality of life.”