Alberta doctors call for more supervised consumption services to reduce strain on acute care resources

The association says communities do not have adequate resources to respond to spiking drug overdoses, so people who face adverse reactions are needing help from first responders, emergency departments and intensive care units more often.

Under Kenney’s leadership, the province has limited access to a life-saving opioid dependency program and supervised consumption service sites.

The group is recommending two emergency actions; expanding access to injectable opioid agonist treatment programs, and bolstering supervised consumption and overdose prevention services.

Alberta Health Services says it’s pausing mental illness and addiction program referrals in the province.

It says it needs to reassign staff to help deal with the strain on the health-care system caused by COVID-19.

AHS says some inpatients will be transferred to non-acute spaces. As well, a unit that provides recovery support programming for people with stabilized mental illness will help patients with an online program.

The head of Alberta Health Services says so many people are being admitted to ICUs each day that medical staff can only keep up because of the number of deaths from COVID-19.

Dr. Verna Yiu says hospitals have admitted two dozen or more critically ill COVID-19 patients on average each day since Sunday.

The result is non-urgent surgeries have been cancelled across the province, including transplants, cancer operations and surgeries on children.

by Canadian Press

Alberta doctors call for more supervised consumption services to reduce strain on acute care resources

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