Overdose outreach team project piloted in Regina and Saskatoon
A new pilot project to connect people who have recently experienced overdoses with programs and services was launched in Regina on Thursday.
The pilot project will consist of overdose outreach teams to help people reduce their risk of overdose and other drug-related harms.
The overdose outreach teams will consist of two people: a mental health and addictions counsellor from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and a paramedic from the fire department.
Regina Fire and Protective Services Chief Layne Jackson said the program will follow up and attempt to prevent second overdoses.
“Our crews will respond to the same individual several times throughout the course of months or years. So this is about trying to stop that, and prevent that, and get the aftercare that’s needed,” he said.
The overdose outreach teams are being piloted in both Regina and Saskatoon.
Anyone experiencing a drug overdose can be referred to the outreach team by family, police, or EMS, but participation is voluntary.
Last year, the Regina Fire Department responded to 2,000 medical calls for service, with 1,200 of those calls involving drug overdoses.
The Drug Task Force, which includes representatives from government ministries, chief medical health officer, provincial organizations, SHA, and the Saskatoon Tribal Council, is providing $250,000 towards the pilot project.
The pilot project will run until mid-May.
-With files from CTV Regina's Gareth Dillistone
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.