The UCP’s announcement of the planned closure of Calgary’s only safe consumption site at the Sheldon Chumir Centre has yielded mixed results from the community..“There’s just not enough done about it (opioid crisis). They’ve cut services that keep people safe, such as safe consumption sites,” Petra Shulz, founder of the harm reduction group Moms Stop the Harm, told the Canadian Press..Dr. Jennifer Jackson – an assistant professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary – told CTV closing the Sheldon Chumir site is “devastating, and on par with closing a COVID testing facility..Premier Jason Kenney said lockdown factors such as reduction of in-person treatment programs have contributed to a larger number of opioid-related deaths than ever before stating it’s “important for us to learn from these factors that may have driven a significant increase in overdose deaths.”.The government and the medical community agree something must be done to combat this, and research has shown safe injection sites may be part of a solution. Stats Canada has reported communities with access to safe consumption sites have statistically been proven to prevent more opioid-related deaths than communities with lack of access..Safe injection sites have also been proven to save the healthcare system time and money. The University of Calgary reported since the Sheldon Chumir clinic opened in 2018, the province has saved more than $2.3 million dollars in medical expenses..The provincial government has gone so far as to offer free Naloxone kits – an opioid blocker that serves to prevent overdoses – at most pharmacies in Alberta. .Because safe injection sites have been proven helpful in the opioid crisis, many are concerned about Kenney’s recent announcement the Sheldon Chumir safe injection site will soon be closing..The lockdowns have caused a resurgence in the province’s opioid epidemic, with opioid-related deaths ranking within the top 10 causes of death in Alberta..The provincial government’s assurance to open two more safe injection sites in Calgary has provided many with hope..“We will be relocating the existing supervised consumption site, which has been highly disruptive to the neighbourhood, and instead add SCS (Safe Consumption Sites) capabilities within two existing partner organizations’ facilities situated in more appropriate locations.” said Justin Marshal, spokesman for Alberta’s Department Of Mental Health and Addictions..Another reason a large percentage of people won’t be sad to see the clinic go is because the area has seen an increase in crime, especially drug-related, since the clinic’s opening. The Calgary Police Service stated there has been a 286% increase in drug-related calls to the area within the last year..Many constituents within the Calgary Centre riding encompassing the Sheldon Chumir safe injection site have voiced their opinions on the negative effect the clinic has had on their community. Those who live there complain of a once-quiet neighborhood now being disturbed by those experiencing mental health crises – many of whom are on mind-altering substances – with the proximity of the safe injection site being the main culprit..The UCP has spent $140 million in mental health and addiction programs over the last two years, yet the opioid death rate does not seem to be declining. In 2020, 904 Albertans overdosed on opioids..Jackie Conroy is a correspondent at the Western Standard.,.jconroy@westernstandardonline.com
