Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT SET

Date Range From

2020

Date Range To

2020

Materials

PLASTIC, LATEX, FABRIC

No. Pieces

5

Length

40.5

Width

29

Description

A) FACE SHIELD CONSISTING OF A CLEAR PLASTIC PIECE AND A HEADBAND AT THE TOP. THE FACE SHIELD IS IN AN UNOPENED CLEAR PLASTIC BAG. THE FRONT OF THE HEADBAND HAS A BLUE PAPER STRIP ATTACHED THAT SAYS “BAUER…FACESHIELD” AND ON THE RIGHT “WARNING: USE ONLY AS A PHYSICAL BARRIER FROM LIQUIDS…SINGLE USE”. THE LEFT HAS THE SAME WARNING IN FRENCH “AVERTISSEMENT…UNIQUE”. BEHIND THE PAPER FRONT LABEL IS A PIECE OF BLACK FOAM WITH AN INDENTED PATTERN CUT INTO THE FOAM. THE BACK OF THE HEADBAND HAS A STRIP OF WHITE ELASTIC THAT IS ATTACHED TO THE FRONT OF THE CLEAR PLASTIC SHIELD PIECE WITH WHITE PLASTIC DIVETS. INSIDE THE BAG THERE IS A WHITE PAPER SLIP WITH PRINT IN BLACK INK THAT SAYS “PROTECTEUR…PRODUCT NO. 1059220…BAUER HOCKEY LTD…BLAINVILLE, QUEBEC…” THERE IS A WHITE STICKER ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE PLASTIC BAG CLOSING THE FOLDED OVER OPENING. THE STICKER HAS A BARCODE AND SAYS “1059220 EACH…MADE IN CANADA…” IN BLACK INK. THE FACE SHIELD IS IN MINT EXCELLENT CONDITION STILL IN THE PACKAGING. LENGTH: 40.5CM WIDTH: 29CM. B) WHITE FACE MASK SEALED IN A CLEAR PLASTIC BAG. THE MASK IS OVULAR WITH TABS ON THE SIDES THAT HAVE TWO METAL STAPLES ON EACH SIDE. THE EDGES ON THE FRONT OF THE MASK HAVE AN INDENTED PATTERN. THE FRONT OF THE MASK SAYS “3M AURA™ 9210 + NIOSH” “N95” “TC-84A-5668”. THE BACK OF THE MASK HAS TWO WHITE ELASTICS FOR SECURING TO THE HEAD STRUNG ACROSS AND ATTACHED TO THE MASK WITH THE STAPLES. THE PLASTIC BAG HAS ILLUSTRATED INSTRUCTIONS PRINTED IN BLACK INK ON THE BACK WITH 7 STEPS IN TOTAL. THE TOP LEFT ON THE BACK OF THE PLASTIC BAG SAYS “3M” IN RED AND THE BOTTOM AT THE BACK SAYS “IMPORTANT…INDIVIDUAL”. LENGTH: 24CM WIDTH: 9CM. C) TWO BLUE LATEX GLOVES THAT ARE LOOSE (NOT IN A PACKAGE). THE GLOVES ARE WRINKLED AND CRUMPLED AND ARE ADULT SIZE. LENGTH: 23CM WIDTH: 14CM. D) LIGHT BLUE PLASTIC GOWN FOLDED AND IN A CLEAR PLASTIC BAG. THE BAG IS OPEN AT THE TOP BUT THE GOWN IS UNUSED. LENGTH: 21.5 CM WIDTH: 10.5CM.

Subjects

MEDICAL & DENTAL T&E

PERSONAL GEAR

REGULATIVE & PROTECTIVE T&E

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

HEALTH SERVICES

PERSONAL CARE

PROFESSIONS

History

ON THE 28TH OF SEPTEMBER, 2020 GALT MUSEUM CURATOR AIMEE BENOIT AND COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN MET WITH LINDSAY STELLA AND MEGAN WILLIAMSON, DIRECTORS AT THE NON-PROFIT ARCHES (AIDS OUTREACH COMMUNITY HARM REDUCTION EDUCATION SUPPORT SOCIETY), TO SPEAK ABOUT THE DONATED SUPERVISED CONSUMPTION SITE (SCS) MATERIALS. AN AUGUST 31, 2020 CBC NEWS ARTICLE STATED THAT THE SCS, A SPACE FOR HARM REDUCTION PRACTICES IN WHICH PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO USE DRUGS LIKE OPIOIDS IN A SUPERVISED ENVIRONMENT WITH THE ABILITY TO RESPOND TO POTENTIAL OVERDOSES, WAS OPENED IN 2018 AND WAS THE BUSIEST SITE OF ITS KIND IN CANADA WITH AN AVERAGE OF 500 VISITS PER DAY. ONCE LOCATED AT 1016 1 AVENUE SOUTH IN LETHBRIDGE, THE SCS WAS SHUT DOWN IN AUGUST OF 2020. ARCHES DONATED A COLLECTION OF THE ITEMS USED AND DISTRIBUTED THROUGH THEIR PROGRAMS. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION COMES FROM THE INTERVIEW. LINDSAY DESCRIBED THE MODIFICATIONS AT THE SCS AT THE OUTSET OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, AND THE PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) DONATED TO THE MUSEUM FROM ARCHES: “…COVID CHANGED EVERYTHING [AT THE SUPERVISED CONSUMPTION SITE] ABOUT HOW SERVICES ARE PROVIDED. WE HAD TO CHANGE EVEN THE LAYOUT... WE ENDED UP USING THE NORTH ENTRANCE…[TO] MAKE SURE EVERYONE WAS PHYSICALLY DISTANCED, HAD TO DECREASE CAPACITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WERE TWO METRES BETWEEN ALL THE THINGS… FOR THIS TYPE OF PPE, WE HAD TO USE N95 MASKS, WHICH WERE HARD TO GET… THE REASON IS WHEN SOMEBODY OVERDOSES…WE USE A BAG-VALVE MASK TO…HELP THEM BREATHE AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS IT CREATES AN AEROSOL… THAT WOULD BE CREATING AN AEROSOL WITH COVID, SO WE HAD TO WEAR N95 MASKS, A FACE SHIELD TO PROTECT OUR EYES, THE GOWN, AND GLOVES, AND SO OUR PPE NEED REALLY SKYROCKETED AND WE HAD TO GET IT FROM THE PROVINCE, WHICH SOMETIMES IS HARD…” “…[THERE IS A] FACE SHIELD…A GOWN…THE N95 [WHICH IS] BETTER THAN OUR [NON-MEDICAL] MASKS…AND THEN OUR GLOVES. SO ANY TIME WE HAD TO RESPOND TO ANY TYPE OF MEDICAL EMERGENCY, WE HAD TO DAWN THE FULL PPE OR, MINUS THE N95, IF WE WERE JUST GETTING WITHIN TWO METERS WE HAD TO DAWN THE ENTIRE PPE... WE SCREEN PEOPLE WHEN THEY COME IN, BUT WITH OUR POPULATION IT'S...HARD SOMETIMES TO GET AN ACCURATE VIEW OF IF THEY'RE SICK, IF THEY'RE SYMPTOMATIC, SO WE WOULD JUST ALWAYS WEAR PPE.” LINDSAY CONTINUED: “…WHEN IT STARTED IN MARCH, IT WAS LIKE THE INFORMATION KEPT COMING... AT FIRST THERE WASN’T A WHOLE LOT OF INFORMATION… WE USED TO USE THE WEST ENTRANCE FOR ACCESS COMING AND GOING, BUT…WE SWITCHED IT TO THE NORTH SIDE, BECAUSE WE HAVE...A TRUE RECEPTION WITH A PLASTIC BARRIER FOR STAFF, OTHERWISE IT WAS JUST A WIDE OPEN SPACE. SO IN FIFTEEN MINUTES WE SAID, ‘HALT OPERATIONS,’ AND THEN WE COMPLETELY SWITCHED IT SO THAT ALL CLIENTS CAME THROUGH THE NORTH… WE SCREEN THEM AND LET THEM THROUGH TO OUR RECEPTION SO [IT’S] COMPLETELY BACKWARDS THE ENTIRE FLOW... THEN WE STOPPED USING OUR OBSERVATION ROOM [BECAUSE] IT’S TOO SMALL AND THERE’S NOT ENOUGH AIRFLOW SO WE HAD TO FIND A NEW, SAFER OBSERVATION… WE JUST COMPLETELY UPROOTED EVERYTHING WE EVER DID IN MARCH [OF 2020].” LINDSAY ELABORATED ON THE TIMELINE OF THE SUDDEN CHANGES: “I CAN’T REMEMBER THE EXACT DAY [THINGS CHANGED DUE TO THE PANDEMIC] BUT WE JUST ESSENTIALLY COPIED [ALBERTA HEALTH SERVICES]. SO WE JUST LOOKED TO AHS AND SAW WHATEVER THEY WERE ROLLING OUT AND [DECIDED], ‘OH WE’RE [GOING TO] ROLL THAT OUT THE SAME TIME.’…” “…IT WAS A WILD RIDE THERE AND JUST NOT KNOWING THINGS LIKE EVEN WHAT’S AN AEROSOL GENERATING MEDICAL PROCEDURE, THINGS JUST WEREN’T KNOWN AND SO…[TO] FIGURE OUT HOW TO KEEP US AND THE CLIENTS SAFE WAS A STRUGGLE, BUT WE DID FIND OUT THAT WE DO PERFORM AEROSOL GENERATING MEDICAL PROCEDURES OR CPR IS THE SAME THING, SO THAT’S WHERE WE HAD TO START. WE ALWAYS HAD N95…[MASKS], BUT THEY BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND WHEN [THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC STARTED]… OUR NORMAL SUPPLY CHAINS ENDED AS DID EVERYBODY’S.” “…WE WERE REALLY DESPERATE. I THINK AT ONE POINT WE HAD NINE [N95 MASKS] ON SITE, WHICH IS NOT A GOOD PLACE TO BE… WE WENT THROUGH THE PROVINCE AND THE PROVINCE CONNECTED US TO AHS AND AHS WAS GREAT…GIVING ME A BOX. BUT THEY WERE RATIONING THEIR N95S TOO…” MEGAN RECALLED THE IMPACT THE RESTRICTIONS HAD ON CLIENTS OF THE SCS: “…I THINK IT WAS A WEIRD SITUATION BECAUSE OUR NUMBERS PRE-COVID WERE UNMANAGEABLE, LIKE THROUGH THE ROOF AMOUNT OF HUMANS COMING THROUGH OUR DOOR, AND WITH ALL THE RESTRICTIONS THAT WERE PUT IN PLACE AND THE BARRIERS THAT WERE PUT IN PLACE, OUR NUMBERS WENT WAY DOWN. SO FOR CLIENTS THAT WAS REALLY AWFUL…” MEGAN CONTINUED: “…[CLIENTS] DON’T LIKE EVEN THE PHYSICAL BARRIERS THAT WERE IN PLACE. SO THERE WAS A SCREENING PROCESS, THERE WERE EXTRA DOORS AND THEY JUST DON’T LIKE THAT FEELING OF HAVING TO GO THROUGH STEPS, BUT FOR US…THE LOW NUMBERS MADE THIS MUCH MORE MANAGEABLE FROM A COVID PERSPECTIVE… IT ALLOWED US TO HAVE MORE CONTROLS PUT IN PLACE… FOR THE CLIENTS IT WAS…REALLY UNFORTUNATE BUT FOR US THE LOWER NUMBERS MADE THINGS A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO…TAKE A BREATH AND WHEN WE HAD ONLY…NINE MASKS…OUR NUMBERS AREN’T NEARLY WHAT THEY USED TO BE… IT’S STILL A PANIC MOMENT BUT THAT [LOW SUPPLY OF MASKS] WOULD HAVE LASTED US TWENTY MINUTES BEFORE WHEREAS NOW WE CAN GET THROUGH A DAY OR TWO.” MEGAN SPOKE ABOUT MORE OF THE CHANGES FOR CLIENTS: “…COVID ALSO HAD AN IMPACT ON THE DRUG SUPPLY SO THINGS WITH INTERNATIONAL BORDERS SHUT DOWN, YOU DIDN’T SEE A LOT OF THE SAME DRUGS OR YOU WERE SEEING DRUGS THAT WE HADN’T BEEN SEEING IN A LONG TIME, OR THEY WERE MIXING THEM WITH THINGS THAT WE HADN’T SEEN SO THERE WAS DIFFERENT REACTIONS HAPPENING.” LINDSAY ADDED: “JUST POOR QUALITY DRUGS AND SO LOTS OF REACTIONS FOR PEOPLE AND [PEOPLE WOULD] TRULY JUST TAKE WHAT THEY COULD GET BECAUSE…THERE JUST WASN’T A SUPPLY OF ANYTHING… IT WAS A GOOD MOMENT TO REFLECT…JUST LOOKING AT OUR PAST OPERATIONS AND OCCURRING OPERATIONS… EVEN THOUGH OUR NUMBERS WENT DOWN, I THINK A LOT OF CLIENTS THRIVED IN THAT. IT TOOK AWAY A LOT OF THE CHAOS…PUTTING…THOSE BARRIERS IN PLACE… FOR MANY THEY ARE BARRIERS, BUT FOR SOME IT WAS CREATING THAT STRUCTURE FOR CLIENTS, [WHICH] IS SO BENEFICIAL BECAUSE A LOT OF THEM LOOK FOR THAT… IN THE COMMUNITY TOO, THE STEPS THEY HAD TO TAKE CARE WERE THE SAME STEPS THEY’D TAKE ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE COMMUNITY AND SO IT WAS JUST THAT REINFORCEMENT... THE CLIENTS ARE GREAT WITH MASK WEARING.” MEGAN COMMENTED ON THE FACT THAT FOR SOME, THINKING ABOUT ILLNESS IS COMMON: “I WAS JOKING…OUR CLIENTS KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH AN EPIDEMIC... IT’S NOT NEW TO THEM.” LINDSAY ADDED: “AND KEEPING EACH OTHER SAFE.” MEGAN THOUGHT ABOUT HOW CLIENTS WERE RESPONDING TO THESE EVENTS: “WE DID SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WERE HOUSED – THERE WOULD BE FIFTEEN PEOPLE IN A HOUSE BUT IT WAS ALMOST LIKE THEY WERE COHORTING, [BECAUSE] WE DIDN’T SEE HUGE SPIKES IN THIS POPULATION WITH COVID. SO WHATEVER THEY WERE DOING, THEY WERE DOING IT WELL.” MEGAN CONTINUED: “BUT WE DIDN’T SEE THEM. THE STREETS WERE KIND OF EMPTY FOR A WHILE.” LINDSAY POINTED OUT: “A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE IN HOTELS.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS IN THE ARCHES CLIENT BASE, MEGAN RESPONDED: “[THE VIRUS SPREAD] A LITTLE, BUT NOT LIKE WHAT WE EXPECTED IT TO.” LINDSAY MENTIONED THE PREVENTATIVE MEASURES STAFF OF THE SCS TOOK: “I DON’T KNOW IF ANY OF THE [SUPERVISED CONSUMPTION SITES] IN ALBERTA HAD ANY POSITIVE CASES COME THROUGH. I KNOW ELSEWHERE IN CANADA THEY DID, BUT IT WAS STAFF… I THINK WE HAVE REALLY STRINGENT SCREENING PROCESSES FOR STAFF AND RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING WE LOOKED TO AHS FOR EXAMPLES… WE WERE TAKING TEMPERATURES, EVERY STAFF MEMBER, AND REINFORCING THAT BECAUSE FOR OUR CLIENTS, THEY’RE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE THE ONES THAT PRESENT WITH COVID, IT’S GOING TO BE THE STAFF THAT BRING IT TO THIS ENTIRE, VULNERABLE POPULATION.” LINDSAY CONTINUED: “…I WOULD SAY HONESTLY...STAFF RESPONSIBILITY WAS REALLY HIGH BECAUSE EVERYONE KNEW...WHAT WOULD…HAPPEN IF SOMEBODY WAS TO GET COVID…WHO’S NOT WELL… STAFF WERE REALLY RESPONSIBLE, SO I WOULD CREDIT A LOT WITH THAT. AS WELL AS MAYBE, I DON’T KNOW IF THERE WAS A LOT OF TESTING DONE FOR THE POPULATION BECAUSE THERE WAS THAT STIGMA FOR THEM…WHERE IF SOMEBODY WAS POSITIVE…YOU FEEL SHAME. LIKE IF I HAD POSITIVE COVID RESULT I WOULD BE EMBARRASSED… A LOT…DON’T WANT TO GET TESTED BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN TO THAT RESULT WHO’S GOING TO FIND OUT AND JUST…THAT DISTRUST…” “…I THINK THERE’S LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT WE WERE REALLY LUCKY… EVEN IF WE HAD SOMEONE WHO WAS POSITIVE CAME IN, WE ENDED UP HAVING AN ISOLATION SPACE. SO IF SOMEBODY WAS SYMPTOMATIC AND THEY CAME IN, WHAT WE DIDN’T WANT TO DO WAS DENY THEM SERVICE AND THEN JUST HAVE THEM JUST OUTSIDE THE DOORS. SO WE CREATED AN ISOLATION SPACE WHERE THEY COULD STILL COME IN AND THEN WE WERE…IN FULL PPE BECAUSE WE WERE TREATING THEM LIKE THEY WERE POTENTIALLY POSITIVE… THEN THEY COULD DO THEIR THING, CONNECT WITH STAFF IN FULL PPE, AND THEN WE’D CALL [A] COMMUNITY PARAMEDIC...WHERE THEY COULD GET TESTED ON SITE. IF THEY WERE POSITIVE, WE KNEW A PATHWAY WHERE THEY WOULD GO.” MEGAN SPOKE ABOUT THE ADDED SPACE FOR THE ISOLATION ROOM: “WE HAD A COUPLE THAT WE SUSPECTED [HAD COVID-19] AND PUT THROUGH THAT PATHWAY, BUT…THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE UTILIZING THAT [ISOLATION] PLACE WAS PRETTY LOW… OUR FEDERAL EXEMPTION UNDER THE 'CONTROLLED DRUGS AND SUBSTANCES ACT' WAS FOR A VERY SPECIFIC SPACE IN THIS BUILDING, WHAT WE CALL THE DRUG CONSUMPTION ROOM AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET ESSENTIALLY A SECONDARY OR A BRANCH, ANOTHER ACCEPTABLE, EXEMPTED SPACE.” LINDSAY ADDED: “…IT WAS JUST A HALLWAY OUT FRONT WE CONVERTED INTO AN ISOLATION SPACE, SO IT WAS EITHER GO RIGHT OR GO LEFT WHEN YOU COME IN THE FRONT DOOR. WHICH WORKED REALLY WELL, IT DIDN’T WORK WELL FOR THE REST OF THE PROGRAMMING BECAUSE WE…TOOK UP MORE SPACE...IN THE BUILDING.” MEGAN WENT ON: “BUT THE REST OF THE PROGRAMMING, WHICH IS CONSISTENT ACROSS ALBERTA AND CANADA, LIKE PROGRAMMING IN GENERAL, KIND OF SHUT DOWN… OFFICES SHUT DOWN, WHICH I THINK HAS ALSO BEEN A STRUGGLE FOR OUR CLIENTS... ESSENTIALLY NOW THEY ARE HAVING TO...REBUILD ANY CONNECTIONS THAT…WERE LOST DURING THAT. SO THEY WEREN’T HERE USING THAT SPACE, BUT IT WAS A BIT OF A PAIN…” LINDSAY SAID THAT THERE WERE NOT TOO MANY CASES OF COVID-19 THROUGH THE SCS: “IT’S INTERESTING THOUGH BECAUSE I KNOW CALGARY SHELTERS AND SOCIAL SERVICES, THEY EXPERIENCED OUTBREAKS…AND WE DIDN’T SEE THAT IN LETHBRIDGE. I THINK EVERYBODY JUST DID THEIR DUE DILIGENCE AND TOOK IT SERIOUSLY RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING, WHICH I THINK WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY THE SHELTER…THEY WERE IN A TOUGH POSITION… THE CITY MOVED FAST. EVERYONE WHO NEEDED TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY, TOOK IT VERY SERIOUSLY RIGHT FROM THE GET GO SO I THINK THAT WE WERE PREPARED WHICH HELPED.” AFTER BEING ASKED IF THE CLIENT BASE CHANGED AFTER COVID-19, LINDSAY REPLIED: “…I WOULD SAY IT WAS A MIX, WE HAVE NEW FACES COME IN OR PEOPLE WE JUST HAVEN’T SEEN IN A LONG TIME AND THEN SOME PEOPLE ARE A STABLE CLIENT BASE.” WHEN ASKED HOW MANY SPACES WERE AVAILABLE FOR CLIENTS, LINDSAY ANSWERED: “THERE WERE SIX INITIALLY AND THEN WE EXPANDED UP TO THIRTEEN, FOURTEEN, FIFTEEN, SIXTEEN, AND AT ONE POINT WE HAD SEVENTEEN, BUT OUR CORE NUMBER WAS THIRTEEN INJECTION BOOTHS AND TWO INHALATION ROOMS THAT FIT FOUR PEOPLE EACH… SOMETHING THAT COVID BROUGHT IS WE COULDN’T OPERATE OUR INHALATION ROOMS ANYMORE, SO THAT WAS A CHANGE THAT WE WENT…BACK AND FORTH ON… SO THAT WAS A STRUGGLE, BUT AS AN ORGANIZATION WE HAD TO MAKE THE DECISION THAT WE WEREN’T GOING TO RUN THOSE BECAUSE WE JUST DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH EVIDENCE ABOUT IF SOMEBODY WAS POSITIVE SMOKING IN THERE- THERE WASN’T ENOUGH PPE TO SUPPORT US EVEN RUNNING THOSE BECAUSE WE NEED N95 MASKS TO EVEN ENTER THAT… WE JUST…HAD TO MAKE THAT DECISION, WHICH WAS AN ISSUE FOR CLIENTS...BECAUSE THEN THEY HAD NO SAFE PLACE IF THEY WERE GOING TO SMOKE THEIR DRUGS, SO THAT WAS ANOTHER CHANGE THAT COVID BROUGHT.” MEGAN NOTED: “ALSO, AN INTERESTING THING THAT...GOES ALONG WITH THAT, SMOKING IS A SAFER MEANS OF CONSUMING DRUGS SO WE ALMOST HAD TO REVERT THEM BACK TO A LESS SAFE METHOD, LIKE INJECTION… WHEREAS OUR INHALATION RATES FOR SUPERVISED CONSUMPTION WERE VERY HIGH PRE-COVID.” LINDSAY DESCRIBED THE PEOPLE IN THE SCS THAT REQUIRED THE PPE AND THE ROLES THEY FILLED: “…THE SCS WAS ALWAYS STAFFED WITH A NURSE, AN LPN OR AN RN, IT ALSO HAD PRIMARY CARE PARAMEDICS, ADDICTION COUNSELLORS AND HARM REDUCTION SPECIALISTS, WHICH IS USUALLY A DEGREE OR DIPLOMA IN SOME SORT OF SOCIAL SERVICE FIELD.” “OR LIVED IN EXPERIENCE. SO ANYONE THAT WAS COMING WITHIN TWO METERS OF CLIENTS, SO THAT COULD BE ANY STAFF FOR WHATEVER REASON, HAD TO BE WEARING A DEGREE OF PPE. BUT FOR THE ISOLATION SPACE, IF SOMEBODY WAS [COVID-19] SYMPTOMATIC, THAT’S ONLY ONE NURSE. OR IF YOU’RE RESPONDING TO AN OVERDOSE, IT IS [THE] LEAST AMOUNT OF PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE IF WE’RE GOING TO CREATE A TWO METER RADIUS AWAY FROM THEM…[AND] KEEPING IN MIND THAT WE WANT TO BE PRUDENT WITH OUR PPE THAT WOULD BE THE LEAST AMOUNT OF PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE JUST SO YOU DON’T RUN THROUGH PPE. SO ALWAYS THE NURSE WOULD BE THERE AND THE PRIMARY CARE PARAMEDICS ARE GOOD SUPPORT, AND THEN ALL OF THE HARM REDUCTION SPECIALISTS WERE TRAINED IN OVERDOSE RESPONSE…” LINDSAY OFFERED HER THOUGHTS ON THE SHUTTING DOWN OF THE SCS: “…[ALBERTA HEALTH SERVICES] IS OFFERING AN OVERDOSE PREVENTION SITE AT THE SHELTER, IT’S A MOBILE BUS RIGHT NOW SO WHEN THIS SHUT DOWN, THAT’S WHAT OPENED AND I WISH THEM ALL THE BEST BECAUSE TRULY THEY HIRED A BUNCH OF OUR STAFF SO THAT WAS NICE. THEY WERE ABLE TO GO ON AND WORK THERE AND THEY ARE [GOING TO] DO GOOD WORK SO THAT SERVICE IS THERE. IT’S AN OVERDOSE PREVENTION SITE, SO USUALLY THAT MEANS IT’S A TEMPORARY IN RESPONSE TO A CRISIS, SO I KNOW THERE IS GREAT STAFF, AHS IS GREAT. THEY’VE GOT RESOURCES AND THEY CAN DO A LOT OF GOOD THINGS SO I THINK THEY WILL FILL THAT GAP FOR SURE, AND THEN I HOPE IN THE FUTURE THAT THEY COME UP WITH A PLAN FOR HARM REDUCTION, SUPERVISED CONSUMPTION… THE GOVERNMENT HASN’T OUTLINED WHAT THE ALTERNATE PLAN SHOULD BE SO I HOPE THAT THEY FIND A WAY TO MAKE THE COMMUNITY FEEL GOOD… IT’S SUCH A FINE BALANCE… I THINK THAT EVERYBODY IS STILL FIGURING THAT OUT AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN FIGURE THAT OUT.” MEGAN ADDED: “A COUPLE OF GAPS THAT I THINK WE’RE SEEING ARE INHALATION IS NOT AN OPTION ANYWHERE IN THE CITY AT THE MOMENT, WHICH IT WASN’T FOR US DURING COVID ANYWAY, BUT SOMEDAY THAT’S GOING TO BE A THING AND ALSO WE HAD PEER-ASSIST, SO FOR CLIENTS WHO WERE...PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO DO IT THEMSELVES THEY WERE ABLE TO HAVE A PEER, AND THERE’S LEGALITIES AROUND IT AND STUFF TO SIGN AND DO, BUT THAT’S NOT OPTION THERE EITHER WHICH MEANS THOSE PEOPLE ALSO INHERENTLY WON’T BE ABLE TO USE.” LINDSAY CLARIFIED WHAT PEER-ASSISTANCE WAS: “…PEOPLE WHO…ARE AMPUTEES OR SHOW UP WITH BROKEN LIMBS…RELY ON OTHER PEOPLE IN THE STREET TO INJECT THEM, WHICH IS A VERY SCARY SITUATION AND SO WE WERE FINDING WHEN WE OPENED WE FOUND A COLLECTION OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD PRESENT…AND THEY'D JUST [HAVE TO LEAVE]... SO WE WANTED TO CREATE THAT...INCLUSIVE SPACE AND FIND WAYS TO ALLOW ANYONE THAT WANTS TO USE DRUGS IN A SUPERVISED ENVIRONMENT CAN DO SO.” A SEPTEMBER 26, 2020 GLOBE AND MAIL ARTICLE STATED THAT THE ARCHES SCS “…HOSTED 13 INJECTION BOOTHS AND EIGHT INHALATION STALLS, CLOSED AFTER ALBERTA ACCUSED IT OF FINANCIAL MISMANAGEMENT AND PULLED FUNDING. THE GOVERNMENT, UNDER THE UNITED CONSERVATIVE PARTY, REPLACED IT WITH A MOBILE UNIT, PARKED NEXT TO A SHELTER, THAT CAN SERVE THREE PEOPLE AT A TIME.” MEGAN CONTRIBUTED HER THOUGHTS ON THE CLOSING OF THE SCS: “…I DON’T KNOW...THE DIRECTION WHICH WE ARE GOING RIGHT NOW AND...I THINK WE JUST DO WHAT WE CAN TO STILL MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PROVIDING ANY LEVEL OF SERVICE DURING THIS SO THAT’S WHAT WE’RE COMMITTED TO NOW, IS MAKING SURE AT LEAST SOMETHING IS HAPPENING, BUT I THINK HEALTHCARE IN ALBERTA IS GOING TO LOOK VERY DIFFERENT. SO THAT MEANS THAT OUR HEALTHCARE LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT AS WELL. PUBLIC HEALTH INITIATIVES ARE OBVIOUSLY VERY FRONT AND CENTRE RIGHT NOW AND THIS IS A PUBLIC HEALTH INITIATIVE… I DON’T FEEL GREAT ABOUT IT [CLOSING]. I THINK THAT WE’RE GOING TO SEE INCREASING RATES OF HIV AND [HEPATITIS C] AND WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF DEATHS WHICH IS…VERY SAD AND VERY PREVENTABLE WHICH IS FRUSTRATING, BUT THERE ARE ALSO A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING THEIR BEST TO MAKE SURE THESE SERVICES ARE STILL AVAILABLE…” IN CLOSING, MEGAN DESCRIBED HER AND LINDSAY’S POSITIONS: “…I STARTED [WORKING WITH ARCHES] IN SEPTEMBER OF 2017… I WAS WITH THE HOUSING TEAM, SO WE HAD A HOUSING FIRST TEAM, A CLINICAL TEAM THAT HAD...A NURSE AND AN ADDICTIONS COUNSELLOR AND HAD SOME HOUSING SO I STARTED AS THE TEAM LEAD OF THAT PROGRAM AND THEN A YEAR LATER MOVED IN TO A DIRECTOR [ROLE] AND OVERSAW ALL PROGRAMS AND THEN LINDSAY IS A DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL SERVICES SO SHE WAS VERY INVOLVED WITH A LOT MORE OF THE MEDICAL ASPECTS OF IT... WE HAD ANOTHER DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AND THEN OF COURSE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. SO LINDSAY AND I ARE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THIS TRANSITION HAPPENS AS SMOOTHLY AS POSSIBLE.” FOR MORE INFORMATION, TO ACCESS NEWSPAPER ARTICLES AND FACEBOOK POSTS RELATED TO THE SUPERVISED CONSUMPTION SITE AND ARCHES, OR TO VIEW THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE SEE THE DONATION’S PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20200031001

Acquisition Date

2020-03

Collection

Museum

Less detail