More than 4,300 drug overdoses have been reversed through supervised consumption sites, including 627 in Edmonton, according to a report from the Alberta Community Council on HIV.
The report analyzes the effectiveness of the province's six community-based supervised consumption sites.
"Supervised consumption services [SCS] play an essential role in supporting people who are ready for addiction and treatment services," the report reads.
It outlines a number of statistics about the use of SCS in Alberta:
- 2,183 people in Alberta have died from opioids since 2016. Of those, 86 per cent were due to accidental fentanyl poisonings
- Safe consumption sites have seen over 300,000 visits across Alberta since opening
- 4,305 overdoses have been reversed with a 100 per cent success rate
- 3,709 calls were averted to emergency services
Last week, the province announced a review of Alberta's supervised consumption sites with former Edmonton police chief Rod Knecht assigned to lead a panel study on how the sites affect communities.
The panel's scope will also include looking at crime rates, needle debris, impacts on business, referrals to other service providers and overdose reversals in relation to the sites.
