Drug strategy backs safe injection site
Coordinated care, more recovery support, and pain clinic among recommendations
Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan are calling for a multi-part approach to fighting opioid addictions in Saskatoon, including a safe consumption site, after concluding a local study of the problem.
The study, launched last January, was funded by the College of Medicine and the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse Prairie Node. The findings, released Tuesday, call for better coordination of existing services, a safe consumption site and a local crisis response plan, combined with a long-term provincial strategy.
It noted Saskatoon lacks a dedicated pain management clinic serving a provincial clientele, which may lower the number of prescriptions for opioid painkillers.
The research combines information from available statistics and interviews with front-line workers and care providers.
The study was led by Dr. Lori Hanson, an associate professor at the university. In a media release, she said most of the previously available information about the opioid crisis focuses on patterns in other provinces, so the researchers wanted to understand the local context and factors influencing opioid use.
James Dixon, a research assistant on the study, said it uncovered the different understandings of the opioid crisis on the front lines. He said researchers heard lots of people across the continuum of care and lots of people who are working in this field are collecting a lot of data.
“But it’s not being collated and put together to tell the bigger picture of what’s actually happening,” he said.
The researchers found some type of centralization of information is necessary as part of a long-term strategy, Dixon added.
Participants recognized there’s some level of opioid crisis in Saskatoon, which is supported by numbers: fentanyl deaths have increased, which has been borne out by statistics.
Pending the outcome of ongoing investigations, the Saskatchewan Coroners Service reports there were 23 accidental fentanyl overdoses in the province last year.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information found Regina had one of the highest rates of opioid poisonings in 2017, at 21.4 per 100,000 people.
The highest rate was 52.8 opioid poisoning hospitalizations per 100,000 in Kelowna, B.C.
The study also found growing concern about the use of stimulants, crystal methamphetamine in particular.
Dr. Peter Butt, an associate professor and co-investigator in the study, said Saskatchewan came out of the gates quickly by providing take-home naloxone kits, and there is hope that the province will fund more resources for treatment and transitional supports.
“Nevertheless, there’s still capacity issues. We’re still struggling to meet the need. There aren’t nearly as many physicians or nurse practitioners involved in opioid agonist therapy specifically. There is a need to provide better coordinated care, to have more addictions counsellors to provide support for people who want to enter into recovery,” Butt said.
The provincial government’s 2019-20 budget includes a $30 million increase to mental health and addictions spending.
According to the province in an emailed statement, that includes $1.6 million to support the launch of three Rapid Access to Addiction Medicine Clinics in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert, as well as 50 treatment beds for people transitioning between detox and in-patient treatment or back into the community. Six new in-patient addiction treatment beds will also be added to the Calder Centre in Saskatoon.
The province will receive $1.4 million this year from the federal government through the Opioid Emergency Treatment Fund, which it will use to recruit and train more health-care professionals to treat crystal meth and opioid addictions.
Researchers hope to conduct a followup study involving people who have direct experience with opioid misuse.