SCS identification policy delayed until April 1

By KENDALL KING, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on February 3, 2022.

kking@medicinehatnews.com

Beginning Feb. 1, all supervised consumption services in Alberta were to begin asking individuals accessing the sites for personal health numbers; however an information bulletin sent to SCS providers by Alberta Health Monday, delayed the policy implementation for some providers until April 1.

A section of the bulletin reads, “Section 5 of the Mental Health Services Protection Regulation requires that licensed services providers are a custodian or an affiliate of a custodian for the purpose of providing supervised consumption services … Without being a designated custodian or affiliate, service providers would not have the authority to collect and manage client health information, including personal health numbers.”

Alberta Health Services is the only licensed service provider and custodian, meaning until other service providers receive licensing approval, which designates their service a ‘custodian,’ they cannot implement the personal health number collection policy.

The delay announcement came the same day as the provincial Court of Appeal dismissed an emergency appeal made by national drug advocacy organization Moms Stop the Harm and the Lethbridge Overdose Prevention Society.

Avnish Nanda, legal representation for MSTH and LOPS, told the News Tuesday he and his clients are happy the policy has been delayed in some centres, but will continue working to remove the policy altogether.

“This should not be implemented, so it’s good it’s being postponed (but) this comes days after the government argued in court that any delay past Feb. 1, 2022, would cause serious harm to it and the public interest, so it’s like they’re saying something in court and doing something else outside of court,” Nanda told the News.

Alberta Health and Mental Health and Addiction officials confirm they have heard Nanda, MSTH and LOPS’ concerns, but say the policy is not intended to track those visiting supervised consumption sites, but to provide them with comprehensive health-care options beyond the site.

They also refer to testimony heard in the Court of Appeal from Dr. Thomas Mountain, Senior Operating Officer of Addiction and Mental Health, Allied Health and Rural Health (West) with Alberta Health Services South Zone, which reads, ” Since opening, the Lethbridge Overdose Prevention Site (operated by Alberta Health Services) has a soft practise of requesting the PHNs of clients as part of completing the intake form … As of October 2021, approximately two thirds of clients … do not have a PHN on file. I am informed that, as far as the Lethbridge OPS staff are aware, no client has ever walked away without receiving service due to being asked to share a PHN.”

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