Lethbridge residents hold “die-in” protest following SCS closure

Protesters chanted slogans like “harm reduction saves lives” and “no more deaths.”

The gathering was organized in part by Moms Stop the Harm. Lori Hatfield wanted to hold this event during International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31.

She believes the SCS saved the lives of many people who are addicted to drugs that might have otherwise died of an overdose.

With the facility now closed, Hatfield worries that there will be “significant” impacts to the community.

“The impact will be death. There’s no other way to look at that.”

According to stats provided by ARCHES, they had an average of 600-800 clients per day. The new mobile Overdose Prevention Site (OPS), which is run by Alberta Health, will likely not be able to handle that volume of people.

Between the other support services that ARCHES provided and the relationships they built with clients, Hatfield does not believe that people suffering from substance addiction will be able to get the support they need.

Sam Mackey spoke at the event, detailing how she was addicted to drugs for much of her adult life but has now been clean for about eight months.

After being a client of ARCHES for a period of about eight years, Mackey became an employee. With the closure of the SCS, Monday was her last shift.

“They were the only place I could go where they didn’t treat me like a junkie, you know what I mean? I would go there and they would help me out with food, with wound care, with supplies.”

“When I go to ARCHES, they make me feel at home, they make me feel loved, they make me feel like there’s someone who cares.”

Mackey likened the transition from the SCS to the OPS being like “taking a hospital away from a community and leaving an ambulance.”

Photos of the die in protest can be seen at the bottom of this article.

On the day of the SCS’ closure, ARCHES issued the following statement:

“Dear Friends and Supporters of ARCHES,

It is with heavy hearts that we close the doors of the Lethbridge supervised consumption site.

The past several months have been difficult and today marks a significant transition.

It has been the goal of ARCHES to reduce barriers to service for those individuals who need it.

The provision of compassionate, responsible, confidential, and non-judgmental supports to individuals has been core to the work of ARCHES, and we know there are many community agencies in Lethbridge and the surrounding area that will continue this vision.

ARCHES’ Board of Directors would like to take a moment to thank the staff of ARCHES who have
provided service to the community through the various programs we have offered over the
years.

Staff have worked with passion, care, concern, and empathy for those who have accessed services at ARCHES.

The staff and Board have received a considerable amount of support from the community, and we would like to thank those who have reached out.

The ARCHES’ Board of Directors and staff have been working with representatives from Alberta Health to wind down operations of several programs that have been funded through the Supervised Consumption Services and Needle Debris Mitigation Grants.

ARCHES has worked closely with Alberta Health to facilitate a smooth program transition for all impacted clients and stakeholders.

This will help ensure continued transitional support as the Provincial Government’s Grant Agreements with ARCHES for the existing supervised consumption site ends.

Alberta Health Services is providing supervised consumption services through a mobile
Overdose Prevention Site (OPS).

This service can be accessed outside of the Lethbridge Shelter and Resource Centre at 802 2A Avenue North, Lethbridge.

The OPS is operating seven days per week from 8:00am to 4:00am. For information about the operation of the overdose prevention site, please contact Alberta Health Services Patient Relations at 1-855-550-2555. All other requests for further information should be directed to Alberta Health Services.

For concerns about needle debris, please contact the Needle Debris Hotline at 403-332-0772.

Our operational funding ending today affects the following programs under the ARCHES banner:

Supervised Consumption Services
Needle Debris Hotline
Virtual Opioid Dependency Program
Justice Services
Mic Club
COAP (Community Outreach Addictions Program)
Take Home Naloxone
Urban Spirits Nursing Clinic

The Board of Directors of ARCHES”

(Lethbridge News Now)

by David Opinko/Lethbridge News Now

Lethbridge residents hold “die-in” protest following SCS closure

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