Nursing Students Work to Open Safe Consumption Site in Regina

Anyone looking back on the year 2020 will likely say it was a difficult year. They will remember when COVID-19 was declared a world pandemic by the World Health Organization, the overwhelming strain on the health care system, and the many people who lost their lives to the virus.

But amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, there was another, more silent, crisis taking place, one that was also taking many lives. In Saskatchewan in 2020, the number of fatalities as a result of drug overdoses more than doubled over the year prior. 

In Regina, a group of fourth year University of Saskatchewan (USask) nursing students is helping the Newo Yotina Friendship Centre to do more for harm reduction in the city, including putting plans in place to open a safe consumption site, only the second to open in Saskatchewan. 

USask College of Nursing instructor Nicole Williamson is working with students Jessica Fisher, Stephanie Sedgewick, and Derek Wensley, who are currently completing their community nursing practicum at the Newo Yotina Friendship Centre. “Community nursing is all about working with the community to improve the lives of everyone in the community,” said Williamson. “The Newo Yotina Friendship Centre is a gathering point in the Heritage neighbourhood. They’ve had clients overdose, regular clients who are part of their community, who have lost their lives. We (myself and the nursing students) want to be part of the change; the change that is practical and saves lives.”

“By providing the healthcare perspective, as well as their knowledge of the day-to-day working of the facility, the nursing students have been helping to review the policy and procedures that will govern the site, creating educational resources for clients, preparing information for staff training and education in overdose first-aid, and creating an overdose response box,” said Williamson. “The students have a lot of knowledge to help clients who utilize the site, including safe injection education, wound care prevention and treatment, education on the importance of clean equipment, and needle safety.”

When asked about the opportunity to be part of such a major project, Jessica, Stephanie, and Derek’s collective response is summarized as follows. "Opening a safe consumption site is essential to improving the holistic health of a community, especially one that has a high rate of individuals who struggle with substance use and addiction. This site gives us the opportunity to provide education for the clients on how to stay safe when using substances, as well as provide additional health teachings in hopes to reduce the transmission of diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis C. We feel grateful to be involved in something this important, as the number of overdoses has drastically increased in Regina since the COVID-19 pandemic began."

An application for approval of the site was submitted to the Government of Saskatchewan in December 2020. The proposed site is part of the Newo Yotina Friendship Centre, with its own separate entrance. Similar to other approved safe consumption sites, no one under the age of 16 will be allowed inside and staff will be on hand in case of an overdose.

UPDATE: The Regina Safe Consumption Site opened May 19, 2021.