Health officials say a program prescribing liquor to chronic drinkers in La Loche is helping keep its most vulnerable residents safe amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Northern medical health officer Dr. James Irvine said the managed alcohol program (MAP) launched by the Saskatchewan Health Authority in the northern village has become an “integral part of the COVID-19 response,” helping vulnerable residents find “security” without having to worry about the potentially fatal symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.
“I think it’s really important to think of it as a therapy,” Irvine said. “It’s another option for people for whom the other forms of addiction care have not been successful.”
On May 9, the province banned liquor sales in the village at local leaders’ request after reports that group drinking was contributing to the spread of COVID-19. The village is the epicentre of Saskatchewan’s largest COVID-19 outbreak to date, with 150 cases confirmed in the community of roughly 2,800 as of Thursday.
MAP is usually introduced at hospitals or shelters to treat drinkers who have trouble quitting. In La Loche, it was implemented to support people suddenly cut off from alcohol.
The program now has 55 clients, making it the largest of its kind in Saskatchewan.
“Pours” are given three times a day at a central location. In some cases, liquor is delivered to patients who are self-isolating or who prefer to stay at home. The doses are not enough to intoxicate.
Irvine disputes the characterization that the program is enabling addiction, saying it’s a type of medical intervention for the community’s most vulnerable and helps connect them to other supports. He noted 46 of the 55 clients are also receiving housing assistance.
“It helps prevent withdrawal, but it also helps them (patients) have some more security in their lives,” he said.
Dr. Peter Butt, an addictions specialist at the University of Saskatchewan, said MAPs are one of many tools for managing addictions but that doesn’t make them a perfect fix. He said such programs should be accompanied by other treatment options, especially when liquor store sales in the community eventually resume.
“It’s great to have more resources and more options available,” Butt said. “But we need to be thinking of continuity of care within a coherent system.”
Irvine said the SHA has taken that into account and is also offering detoxification programs, which some patients have opted for over the MAP. The SHA is also looking to expand existing mental health services in La Loche for people who are self-isolating.
Irvine said the MAP may scale down once alcohol sales resume and will be under “ongoing evaluation,” but he believes there’s “strong desire” to keep the program going after COVID-19 is gone.
“People see this as an immediate need but they also want to see it remain in the long run.” Irvine said.
WIDER APPLICATIONS
Irvine said officials are “considering” similar programs in other parts of the province.
He said homeless people in centres like Saskatoon and Regina who are addicted to alcohol may have already been going through withdrawal because fewer retailers are accepting cash, and SARCAN facilities, a source of income for people who collect recyclable bottles, are closed.
He mentioned “plans for assisted self-isolation sites” if there is a COVID-19 outbreak in another area, but was not precise about what would have to happen before those are introduced.
“It will all depend on what types of individuals are affected,” he said.
Tracy Zambory, president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, said she heard concerns from nurses in La Loche that patients had gone into withdrawal after the liquor store closed.
Irvine said there were reports of patients in withdrawal up until Wednesday night, but that it has since tapered off.
His hope is that the MAP, in the long run, will lead to a reduction in alcohol-related emergency room visits and potentially even a reduction in crime.
“When you factor it all in, the price of alcohol is just a small percentage of these other costs,” he said.
