A pilot program to help people reduce their risk of overdose and other drug-related harms is being extended in Saskatoon and Regina. The Overdose Outreach Teams launched last December as part of the Saskatchewan Drug Task Force initiative. will continue for another six months. A news release from the government says that to date, they have supported more than 60 individuals by connecting them with mental health and addictions services, housing, medical intervention and financial services.
Both Regina and Saskatoon have a team comprised of a mental health and addictions counsellor from the Saskatchewan Health Authority and a primary care paramedic from their fire departments. After someone has overdosed, the team will connect with the individual, talking to them about services they could get if they want them and are ready.
The paramedic who is part of Saskatoon’s Overdose Outreach Team, Ryan Bradley, says mental health and addictions challenges are rising not just in Saskatoon and Regina, but all over the province, the country, and further afield. Last year, there were 421 fatal overdoses in Saskatchewan, which is a record, up from 410 in 2021.
However the province’s two larges cities saw a decrease with 68 confirmed overdoses in Saskatoon last year compared to 114 in 2021 and 118 in Regina, compared to 197 the year before. Saskatoon Fire Chief Morgan Hackl says the outreach team’s ability to connect patients to supports has proven to be highly effective. He also points out that overdoses are occurring in all areas of the city and all walks of life.
Prairie Harm Reduction’s executive director, Kayla DeMong, says like any public health crisis, you can’t make significant change without looking at the root causes. She says two of those are the implementation of the Saskatchewan Income Support program in the province and the lack of supported housing for people who use substances. She believes that support needs to be harm reduction based and not require abstinence as part of the housing criteria. With the SIS Program, landlords used to get direct payments for rents and utilities and now it’s up to the people the SIS program is supporting, but some landlords don’t want to take the chance on accepting them. Users of the program have also said with rents and utilities rising, there just isn’t enough to pay the bills.
