Alberta continues to face an opioid epidemic with deaths from accidental overdoses increasing by 40 per cent in 2017. As a result, organizations from all over Alberta are applying to open their own supervised consumption sites: both mobile and stationary.
HIV North in Grand Prairie hopes to have a supervised consumption site approved by mid-April; preferably a mobile unit. HIV North favors the idea of a mobile unit to accommodate Grande Prairie’s need for supervised consumption services in multiple locations.
While a similar organization in Red Deer is hoping to provide supervised consumption services in their current downtown location. In a survey done by Turning Point, 97% of their clients said they prefer to have the site at Turning Point’s current location, in which they are familiar with. While 70% said they would consider using a mobile unit.
Regardless of the approach, both cities are desperate to create safe and supervised consumption sites.
