Safe drug consumption sites in Calgary and Lethbridge will close in just over three months, the province announced Friday. <\/p>\n
Deputy Premier and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis said services at the Safeworks site at the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre on 4 Street SW in the Beltline and a the service located at the Lethbridge Shelter will end on June 30. <\/p>\n
\u201cConsumption sites were introduced at the start of the opioid crisis as a short-term emergency measure,\u201d says Ellis. \u201cTreatment options and recovery support were far more limited than they are today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernment funding will be reinvested in recovery-oriented supports that respond to overdoses, connect people directly to care and steer them into treatment. People will not be left without support.\u201d<\/p>\n
The province says the money previously allocated to the sites will be invested in expanded addiction treatment, medical detox, recovery supports, and 24-hour outreach teams aimed to help more people move toward recovery.<\/p>\n
In Calgary specifically, the province says the services that were offered at the Safeworks site will transition to:<\/p>\n
Expanded Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) services, increasing same-day access to addiction counselling and case management.<\/p>\n
Enhanced opioid dependency services, including additional on-site intake support provided by a registered nurse.<\/p>\n
Enhanced medical withdrawal management at Renfrew Recovery Centre, increasing capacity from 30 to 40 beds and extending intake hours.<\/p>\n
24 hours a day, seven days a week (24-7) Outreach Recovery Response Teams operating in the downtown area to respond to overdoses, provide stabilization and connect people directly to treatment and medical care.<\/p>\n
Closure of site has been debated for years<\/p>\n
The closure of the site has been an ongoing conversation for years<\/a>. Former Premier Jason Kenney first raised the possibility in 2022. <\/p>\n The latest update on the issue was a \u201csymbolic vote\u201d<\/a> held by members of Calgary\u2019s executive committee in early February that would have signaled support for the closure of the site. It was narrowly defeated. <\/p>\n A successful vote from council would have been performative, as municipal health care is a provincial responsibility, but their support would\u2019ve strayed from the neutral position taken by the past city council.<\/p>\n The Safeworks site first opened in October 2017 and provides a place where people who use drugs are monitored in a hygienic environment to reduce to the harm of substance use. Users of the site also get additional support and connection to recovery-oriented services like substance use treatment and supports, mental health care, and housing. <\/p>\n