Drumheller prison deals with seven ODs in a week
‘Extremely concerning’ opioid-related incidents lead to several lockdowns
Correctional officers responded to seven suspected fentanyl overdoses at Drumheller Institution last week, according to the union that represents the guards.
James Bloomfield, regional president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, called the number of overdoses “extremely concerning,” but said it’s not an unusual amount for the facility, which has seen spikes in overdoses believed to be linked to the potent opioid since last summer.
“Our officers have been doing an absolutely amazing job of catching these guys while they’re in crisis and we’ve been able to provide the first aid to save their lives,” Bloomfield said.
Officers have been trained to recognize the symptoms of a fentanyl overdose and to administer the opioid antidote naloxone.
Over recent months, there have been at least two fatal overdoses at the Drumheller prison and one at the Bowden Institution, Bloomfield said. In December, a correctional officer was exposed to fentanyl at the Bowden facility and had to be resuscitated and taken to hospital.
Bloomfield said the Drumheller prison is “the hotbed for the region” in terms of fentanyl prevalence. While guards do their best to prevent substances from getting into the institution, drugs still make their way in through various means.
“They’ve had the institution in lockdown several times for searching and trying to find out where this stuff is, but because it’s so damn small, it’s very, very difficult to ensure that we catch it all, and with the size of the facilities that we have, things come over the fence,” he said.
“We’ve had drone drops, we’ve had lots of different things as far as getting it in, so it’s a constant battle.”
Kristina Nielsen, who drives two hours to visit her commonlaw partner at the institution, said there have been six lockdowns in about three or four weeks. During the most recent lockdown, she and her two-year-old daughter were permitted only a 10-minute visit which had to be conducted through glass.
“And that was because of all the ODs,” she said, adding her partner is “fed up” with the lockdowns.
“He wants me to come see him, he wants to see his daughter,” she said.
Bloomfield said the union has been asking the federal government to bring in body scanners, which were recently implemented in Ontario correctional facilities, to screen inmates for illicit substances.
While officers don’t get reports on which drugs were behind the overdoses that staff respond to, it was confirmed substances seized at the institution include fentanyl and, in more rare cases, the much more potent carfentanil.
Bloomfield said there has been some discussion at the Drumheller facility that inmates might be waiting until officers do their patrols to take a substance, knowing that if they overdose, they will be noticed.
“Fortunately, the officers are catching this right now,” he said. “At some point, it’s going to be too late.”
Correctional Service Canada could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
We’ve had drone drops, we’ve had lots of different things as far as getting it in, so it’s a constant battle