By The Canadian Press

Supervised consumption site to open at Edmonton’s Royal Alex

Mar 27, 2018 | 12:31 PM

EDMONTON – Another supervised drug consumption site is to open in Alberta next week as the province continues to fight a growing number of deaths from opioids such as fentanyl.

The government says the site for in-patients at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and will be able to handle six people at a time.

Nurses will be on staff to provide life-saving services, including the fentanyl antidote naloxone, in case of an overdose.

Patients will also have access to doctors, counsellors, social workers, as well as to mental-health supports and opioid-dependency treatment.

The province says it’s the first hospital-based supervised drug consumption site in North America.

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“It’s important we do everything we can to support individuals and families affected by the opioid crisis,” said Health Minister Sarah Hoffman. “Supervised consumption sites provide a secure, supportive place for people who use substances, while also being connected with wraparound services such as counselling and treatment programs. The addition of this new lifesaving service at the Royal Alex not only means greater safety for patients; it also supports a safer hospital environment for staff and visitors.”

“Edmonton has once again shown its innovation by being the first city in North America to have a site like this within a hospital,” added Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson. “This model will not just save lives in Edmonton but will help other vulnerable individuals from other cities as other leaders learn and possibly apply how it can be done.”

The Royal Alexandra location is to open Monday.

(The Canadian Press)

by The Canadian Press

Supervised consumption site to open at Edmonton’s Royal Alex

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