The Affect of Safe Injection Sites in Saskatchewan - Jessica

The Affect of Safe Injection Sites in Saskatchewan

 By Jessica Kelly for Terriann Wallings' blog post on Thursday, January 19, 2023, at 10:40am

Image by Darryl Dyck for The Canadian Press, May 11, 2011

Safe injection and consumption sites are a new service in Saskatchewan beginning on October 1st, 2019. These sites have changed the lives of many Canadians in many different ways. Safe injection and consumption sites help residents to manage their addictions safely, rather than having unmonitored and unsafe drug problems. These programs also offer education and harm reduction solutions to those involved, to aid in their addictions while helping them to receive what they may need.

Prairie Harm Solutions is a Saskatoon-based company that provides safe injection and consumption sites for people of Saskatoon that may need it. PHS opened its first injection site in October of 2019, making them the first safe injection site that Saskatchewan has ever seen. Their goal is to provide services and a safe space for people with drug problems to visit and receive the help that they need, by hiring Nurse Practitioners, mental health therapists, pet therapy, as well as many more. Helping to decrease the number of overdoses in Saskatchewan is the ultimate goal of these safe injection sites. The company also provides a service where their "Needle Patrollers" walk throughout areas such as Mayfair, Pleasant Hill, and Riversdale area to retrieve and pick up needles in those areas to prevent the spread of HIV as well as other blood-transmitted diseases. 

Safe Injection sites are a great solution to drug issues and overdoses in Saskatchewan, giving residents a safe place and monitored area to get help and resources for their problems. This may not be a perfect solution to the drug problem in Saskatchewan but it is an amazing first step to getting help to our community.

Works Cited

“Support Services.” Prairie Harm Reduction, prairiehr.ca/pages/support-services.

Giles, David. “AIDS Saskatoon Changes Name, Sets Opening Date for Safe Consumption Site - Saskatoon.” Global News, Global News, 28 July 2020, globalnews.ca/news/7226032/aids-saskatoon-prairie-harm-reduction-safe-consumption-site-saskatoon/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20new%20name%20and%20logo,people%20daily%20who%20use%20drugs.