Safeworks has had a steady increase in use since opening in late 2017, but that usage dropped during March and April
This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy.Visits to Calgary’s supervised drug consumption site have dropped by a third after the facility cut its capacity because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which experts say has increased the risk of overdoses.
The Calgary site reduced capacity by half in March to maintain physical distancing within the consumption room. While the number of clients accessing Safeworks each month has decreased, the amount of overdoses has spiked. Safeworks responded to 83 overdoses in March and 87 in April, which is roughly a third higher than the average of 57 a month from December to February.
Dr. Hyshka said the social effects of isolation and restrictions on supervised consumption services could be factors. “There’s less access, so people are more likely to be using other places where there isn’t available systems in the event of an overdose.” The report was criticized at the time by experts, who objected to some of its findings, such as arguing that drug users who received oxygen, rather than the overdose-reversing naloxone, should not be counted as overdoses.
Rebecca Haines-Saah, an assistant professor at the University of Calgary’s community health sciences department, said the March report and the government’s criticisms of consumption sites weren’t based in fact.
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