REGINA — Results from a community engagement initiative by the Saskatchewan Drug Task Force are reporting that community supports will be an important factor in addressing addiction in the province.
An inquiry held by the taskforce, which was created to examine substance abuse issues in the province, shared it's final report on March 3.
Mental Health and Addictions Minister Everett Hindley said the task force spoke to both individuals, organizations and tribal council leaders across Saskatchewan, asking them to “share their experiences and advice” during the survey.
Key findings showed that substances are readily accessible in most communities in Saskatchewan, and individuals dealing with substance abuse often don’t seek help due to a number of barriers including stigma, lack of available transport and housing insecurity.
Some individuals said they aren’t aware of where to seek services for addiction, said the report, while others said long wait-times and gaps in service were a deterrent.
The top contributors to substance abuse listed were untreated mental health issues, including trauma and intergenerational trauma, to address both physical and psychological pain. Isolation and boredom while under the restriction of public health orders were also factors, some said.
The report identified several priorities for future action to address addictions issues, said Hindley.
Some areas of focus include what the province calls “hotspotting,” or developing strategies targeting high risk individuals in specific areas of the province. Creating deeper community partnerships and offering more trauma-informed services were also cited.
“This is not simply a health, police or mental health issue – it will take everyone working together to address it,” said Hindley.
Focus groups held by community organizations on behalf of the task force identified a need for more culturally based resources, harm reduction services like consumption sites and needle exchanges, and outreach and crisis teams.
The results also showed a need for more community engagement, including more stigma reduction campaigns, coordination of services and issuing of community drug alerts.
The priorities identified will be used by the task force as it develops a work plan, said Hindley, to address substance abuse in the province moving forward.
“We recognize the urgent need to address addictions and overdoses in our province, and we are committed to finding solutions to meet these challenges,” said Hindley.
The task force includes members from various provincial ministries, the chief medical health officer, the provincial coroners office, police organizations, public health and the Saskatoon Tribal Council.
The report, now made public, and its results are available to view online at saskatchewan.ca/drug-task-force.
