Operating hours were slashed in half at Red Deer's overdose prevention site as of Jan. 2, and anxiety has risen among clients, says a member of a group that supports harm reduction strategies.
"It's gone from 24 hours to 12 hours, and people already have nowhere to go," said Samantha Ginter, with Moms Stop The Harm, a network of Canadian families impacted by substance-use-related harms and deaths.
Since October 2018, the Red Deer overdose prevention site (OPS) has been operating at a temporary site in an ATCO trailer in the parking lot next to the Safe Harbour detox building.
At the end of March, the province will close the OPS to support Red Deer city council's request to refocus on health, wellness and recovery options to tackle drug and alcohol addiction in the city.
Ginter said the majority of people who spoke at last year's lengthy public hearing were in favour of the OPS. Others concerned about public urination and defecation, garbage, or people sleeping outside businesses in the downtown— that has more to do with homelessness.
"That has nothing to do with drug use. That has to do with a lack of affordable housing in Red Deer. That's not going to change by closing the OPS. If anything it's going to increase public drug consumption, it's going to increase publicly discarded drug paraphernalia, it's going to increase petty crime, and it's going to increase tension among those who are already so underserved and those who aren't," Ginter said.
A statement from Recovery Alberta said careful planning continues for a phased transition of the Red Deer OPS.
Clients continue to have access to supervised consumption support during the new hours. The OPS had 298 visits from 84 unique clients since Jan. 2.
Reduced hours at the OPS coincide with the launching of new services, including the Dynamic Overdose Response Team (DORT) operated by Safe Harbour Society from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Recovery Alberta’s Mobile – Rapid Access Addiction Medicine clinic also began preliminary operations Dec. 2, and is expected to be fully operational by the end of January.
"As we move towards the closure of the OPS for the end of March, Recovery Alberta is continuing to meet the needs of those who come to us for care and support. We will continue to connect individuals to health and social services, including recovery-oriented treatment and supports like medical detoxification, bed-based addiction treatment, ID services, housing supports and access to opioid agonist treatment medication," the statement said.
The new M-RAAM clinic provides a variety of supports, including rapid access to addiction recovery supports like pharmacological supports, addiction counselling, recovery management, and access to social work and referrals to recovery-oriented services such as bed-based addiction treatment.
M-RAAM currently operates Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Staffing includes an assistant head nurse, two registered nurses, one licensed practical nurse, one primary care paramedic, one addictions counsellor, and one social worker. Once fully operational, M-RAAM will be open 12 hours a day, seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Recovery coaches have also been in place at Safe Harbour since October, employed by Bowline Health.
The Digital Overdose Response System (DORS) is a free, discrete mobile app which continues to be available to help prevent overdose deaths among those using opioids and other substances while alone.
Chris Galloway, Friends of Medicare executive director, said nothing can take the place of the OPS, which is all about keeping people alive so they can get to a healthy place in their lives.
"As always, when these services are reined in or shut down, we will see more people die that didn't need to die," Galloway said.
In addition to the danger of overdose deaths, they will also be at risk for amputations due to frostbite if they are outside in freezing temperatures, he added.
"People still consume drugs whether the facility is open 24 hours a day or not. We need real health care services for people who lack housing and for people who consume drugs, and we're seeing the reverse happening in Red Deer. It's just frustrating," Galloway said.
