A union representing Saskatchewan nurses says the closure of Saskatoon’s only supervised drug consumption site appears to be having spillover effects in hospitals.
Bryce Boynton, president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, says he’s heard from workers that they’re dealing with more overdoses in emergency rooms since Prairie Harm Reduction shut down.
He says St. Paul’s Hospital has set up a dedicated team in its ER to deal with overdose and alcohol recoveries.
“(It’s) to the point where some are even being admitted to the ICU now,” Boynton said in a recent interview.
“There seems to be a clear correlation between the closure or reduction of harm reduction services and the creation of more ER visits and the additional overdoses that come with it.”
Saskatchewan Health Authority did not immediately return a request for comment.
Prairie Harm Reduction was shuttered earlier this month after it reported financial issues. Its board said a major deficit left it without any money to stay open. Vice-chair Brady Knight warned the closure could create a gap in services for those with addictions.
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The organization’s consumption site and drop-in centre was located about a block from St. Paul’s Hospital.
It also operated youth housing programs and distributed naloxone, a medication that reverses overdoses. The province recently cut $2.1 million in funding for those services, citing governance issues at the organization.
Boynton said the loss of Prairie Harm Reduction is alarming.
“(Nurses) are having to adjust and focus more on this patient population, which also takes away patient care for many of the others experiencing emergencies,” he said.
Fire Chief Doug Wegren called it a heightened response.
“(The department) is closely monitoring this situation,” he said in a statement.
Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block has said she expects the loss of Prairie Harm Reduction will have ripple effects. “The absence of services it provided may be felt more deeply over time than is immediately apparent,” Block said in a statement last week.
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Boynton said the closure came after the province hollowed out other harm reduction measures two years ago.
In 2024, the government banned third-party providers from handing out clean pipes. It also made changes to needle-exchange programs, requiring providers to give out no more needles than the number they receive.
Boynton said more people have been spreading diseases since those programs changed. Nurses are also unable to regularly assess users when they don’t go to clinics to get clean pipes or needles, he added.
“When you are taking away harm reduction programming, you’re taking away an opportunity to help someone,” Boynton said.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told reporters this week that the province has given more authority to officers that allow them to remove drugs.
He also said the government is adding more detox beds and that he hopes to pass legislation this spring to force treatment on those who can’t make decisions for themselves.
“Our goal is a recovery-oriented system of care,” Moe said.
Opposition NDP health critic Meara Conway said the Saskatchewan Party government could have waited before cutting funding to Prairie Harm Reduction.
“We will continue to see emergency rooms bursting at the seams,” she said. “It’s not an effective way of dealing with these social issues. It’s a very costly way.”
instead of eliminating the drugs they enable the junkies. No drugs no overdosing.