A group of Edmonton physicians says the Alberta government’s overhaul of harm reduction supports for people who use drugs is needlessly straining acute care resources as COVID-19 demands grow.
Members of the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association‘s opioid poisoning committee have penned a letter to Premier Jason Kenney, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other health and addictions officials.
It calls for emergency action to address the drug poisoning crisis.
The association says communities do not have adequate resources to respond to spiking drug overdoses, so people who face adverse reactions are needing help from first responders, emergency departments and intensive care units more often.
Read more: Edmonton opioid crisis: Daily deaths, overdoses overwhelming social services and health-care system
Under Kenney’s leadership, the province has limited access to a life-saving opioid dependency program and supervised drug-use sites.
The group is recommending two emergency actions: expanding access to injectable opioid agonist treatment programs, and bolstering supervised consumption and overdose prevention services.
More than 145 people and 18 organizations from across Canada — including the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, Moms Stop the Harm and Protect Our Province Alberta — have signed the letter in support.
“We know that Alberta’s current approach to the drug poisoning crisis unnecessarily strains acute care resources and is directly contributing to an rising number of deaths,” the letter says.
“In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the above emergency policy actions are life-saving not only for people who use drugs, but for all Albertans in need of intensive care.”
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