Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

2020

Date Range To

2020

Materials

PLASTIC, LATEX, PAPER

No. Pieces

1

Length

13

Width

8.4

Description

A CLEAR PLASTIC ZIPLOC BAG CONTAINING A FOLDED PAPER SLIP THAT HAS STRAWBERRIES, RED LIPS, AND A BLUE AND GREEN PATTERNED BACKGROUND. THE FRONT OF THE SLIP SAYS “ONE LATEX DENTAL DAM STRAWBERRY”. THE BACK OF THE SLIP HAS A BARCODE AND SAYS “STOCK…EXP…2023…LINE ONE LABORATORIES, INC. (USA) CHATSWORTH, CA 91311” IN WHITE. IN BETWEEN THE FOLDS OF THE PAPER SLIP THERE IS A PINK LATEX DENTAL DAM. THE BAG IS UNOPENED AND IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.

Subjects

MEDICAL & DENTAL T&E

MULTIPLE USE ARTIFACTS

PERSONAL GEAR

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

HEALTH SERVICES

PERSONAL CARE

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. MEGAN TALKED ABOUT THE DONATION OF SUPPLIES DISTRIBUTED BY THE SCS: “…WE HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT CONDOMS, FEMALE CONDOMS, THERE’S LUBRICANT IN THERE, SAFER SEX SUPPLIES… MOST PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT SAFER SEX SUPPLIES ARE USED FOR…” “…SOME OF THEM ARE KIND OF MORE FUN TOO, THE POINT IS THAT…THEY WANT PEOPLE TO USE IT.” WHEN ASKED WHERE THE SUPPLIES CAME FROM, MEGAN RESPONDED: “…THERE’S LOT OF DIFFERENT MANUFACTURERS… THE GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA PAYS FOR THEM AND THEN DISTRIBUTES THEM TO THE COMMUNITY AT NO COST, SO WE ARE ESSENTIALLY JUST A DISTRIBUTION POINT AND WE DO A LOT OF EDUCATION AROUND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO USE THESE THINGS, A LOT OF AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS... WE…HAVE BOXES AND BOXES AND BOXES OF THEM… THERE’S MALE CONDOMS IN HERE, FEMALE CONDOMS… THERE’S A DENTAL DAM HERE, SO THIS IS GENERALLY FOR PEOPLE THAT ENGAGE IN SEX WORK SO THAT WOULD BE FOR ORAL SEX AND…THERE’S SOME LUBRICATION IN HERE TOO…” MEGAN ELABORATED ON HOW THESE ITEMS ARE GIVEN OUT: “…SOMETIMES…IF THEY’RE…DOING OUTREACH [THEY WILL] PREPACKAGE THINGS, JUST TO MAKE IT EASIER TO GIVE THEM TO PEOPLE… THERE'S A LOT OF PLACES IN TOWN THAT WILL…HAVE…A BUCKET AVAILABLE… ALSO, BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT OF SHAME AROUND THIS STUFF…WE WANT TO MAKE IT AS READILY ACCESSIBLE AS POSSIBLE WHERE THEY DON’T HAVE TO ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS IF THEY DON’T WANT TO...” MEGAN CONTINUED: “…THERE COULD JUST BE…A BIN OF THEM THAT’S…OFF TO THE SIDE THAT YOU CAN…DISCREETLY GRAB A COUPLE OR IT’S LIKE A CONVERSATION, SIT DOWN, LET’S GO THROUGH STUFF. SO…[IT] GIVES THEM OPTIONS OF WHAT THEY CAN DO, ESPECIALLY WITH SAFER SEX THOSE ARE READILY HANDED OUT… A LOT OF OUR SATELLITE SITES…WILL HAVE BOXES OF THEM AND WILL JUST REFILL WHEN THEY’RE EMPTY [AND THE SUPPLIES ARE] TAKE WHAT YOU NEED, THE POINT IS WE WANT YOU TO TAKE THEM. IN RECENT YEARS, SAFER INJECTION SUPPLIES HAS GOTTEN A LOT MORE CONTROVERSIAL THAN THEY EVER USED TO BE, SO THERE’S A LOT MORE RESTRICTIONS AROUND THAT, WHICH IS UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE THAT MEANS PEOPLE AREN’T ACCESSING THEM AT THE RATE THAT THEY SHOULD BE AND WE’VE SEEN INCREASES IN RATES OF HIV AND [HEPATITIS C]… BUT SAFER SEX SUPPLIES…THERE’S NOT A LOT OF CONTROVERSY AROUND THE IMPORTANCE OF THEM SO…THEY ARE…HANDED OUT… THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION [HARM REDUCTION BEST PRACTICE] STANDARD IS AS MANY AS THEY WANT AS OFTEN AS THEY WANT, WITH NO EXPECTATION OF RETURN. THAT’S NOT OUR CURRENT REALITY AT THE MOMENT, BUT IT'S EASIER TO DO SAFER SEX SUPPLIES…” MEGAN PROVIDED THE OTHER LOCATIONS AROUND LETHBRIDGE THAT MIGHT DISTRIBUTE THE SAFE SEX SUPPLIES: “…THERE’S LOTS OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN TOWN…LIKE ALPHA HOUSE, THE Y, MCMAN, THERE’S LOT OF PHARMACIES THAT DO IT, THERE’S LOTS OF STUFF RURALLY THAT DOES IT. GENERALLY IT’S…EITHER A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, A PHARMACY, A CLINIC...THE SEXUAL HEALTH CENTER… THEY’VE GOT THEIR OWN STUFF…” WHEN ASKED WHO WOULD CARRY ON THE DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM AFTER THE SCS CLOSED, MEGAN RESPONDED: “IT’S PROVINCIALLY MANDATED SO SOMEBODY WILL GET THE CONTRACT, BUT WE DON’T KNOW YET WHO IT IS… THIS IS WORK THAT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITY FOR AT LEAST…THIRTY YEARS… IT CAN’T JUST GO AWAY OR WE’RE GOING TO SEE SKY ROCKETING RATES OF STBBIS (SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED AND BLOOD BORNE INFECTIONS) AND HIV AND [HEPATITIS C] AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. SO THAT’S WHAT WE THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN. WE DON’T KNOW YET…” MEGAN COMMENTED ON THE TRANSITION PERIOD FOR ACCESS TO THESE SUPPLIES AFTER THE SCS CLOSED: “…OUR SATELLITES WILL BE STOCKED UP, SO WE'LL HOPEFULLY DIRECT PEOPLE TO THE APPROPRIATE PLACES IN THE MEANTIME, BUT IT’S MOSTLY THE STREET POPULATION THAT WE WORRY ABOUT…” 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.” 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

P20200031008

Acquisition Date

2020-03

Collection

Museum

Less detail