Regina looks to solve issue of people passed out in public

It's a sad and shocking image someone passed out on a sidewalk or in a bus shelter downtown in Regina and Saskatoon.

However,responding to calls for people passed out in public is an everyday occurrencefor police and ambulance crews in Saskatchewan's two biggest urban centres.

Shawna Semeganis, a frontline manageratCarmichael Outreach just down the street from the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region's (RQHR) detox centre, said she and other staff often need to call an ambulance to pick up passed out people near the building.

"It's pretty much on a daily basis. I expect it weekly.It could be male, female, just depending on who'shad too much," Semeganis said.

She said that some in the community have come to recognizeCarmichael as a safe place because they know she "will be there to go check up on them, to make sure they get an ambulance, orinto detox, or get picked up by police."

On the day of CBC's visit,Semeganishasbeen monitoring a man beside her building. He has a big bruise over his eye and she's worried he may have hit his head when he fell down. There's a half empty bottle of alcohol by hisfeet andsomewater another person atCarmichael has set beside him.

Semeganissaid she is worried about people who pass out in public because they are often a target of violence.

There's people the just go and outright hit them for nothing or throw stuff at them.- Shawna Semeganis, Carmichael Outreach

"There's people that just go and outright hit them for nothing or throw stuff at them. Life has beaten them down immensely and to have someone throw a milkshake at them, that's absolutely not necessary,"Semeganis said.

Carmichael staff called an ambulance for the man with a bruise and whenthe EMTs arrived, they woke him up and called him byname.

Ken Luciak,of Emergency Medical Services for the RQHR,said his crews tend to see a lot of "repeat customers"with substance abuse issues.

"There's about a dozen people who will need an ambulance called at least once a month, sometimes threetimes a month,"Luciak explained.

Each of those ambulance rides costs $325, a cost thatthe health region swallows when patients can't pay.

Most of the peoplepicked up off the street aretaken the Emergency Roomat Regina General Hospital.

However,paramedics will check and if the problem is only related to alcohol, some peoplemay be taken directly to the briefdetox centre, if there is room.There is an EMT stationed at the 20-bed centre24 hours a dayand those beds are generallyfull.

Detoxand police cells are the only places available to people in Regina who need a safe place to sleep it off. Salvation Army and Soul's Harbour have temporaryemergency accommodations, but those in need have to be sober to stay there.

Pilot project designed to reduce demand

The Lighthouse in Saskatoon has partnered with the Saskatoon Health Region for a six-month pilot project designed to reduce the demand for ambulance trips and Emergency Room visits from Lighthouse clients.

DeeAnnMercierwith the organization said that as anemergency shelter, supported living and affordable housing centre, the Lighthousewascalling the ambulance around 40 times a month on average.

"Our clientele were very high users of the system, so they decided to put a paramedic on site for 12 hours a day," Mercier said.

"That has greatly reduced ourneed to call the ambulance so much. We are able to assess people on site, whether it is a medical emergency or something we can treat on site. We have a nurse practitioner part time as well so we are able to do a lot more supports here."

It's just a better use of our city resources.- DeeAnn MercierLighthouse

The lighthouse also runs a mobile outreach, whichstarted as arefurbished ambulance and is now a Dodge Caravan.

Mercier said that vehicle is available16 hours a day to take people to appointments andtransport intoxicated peopleto a safe place.

Dispatch in Saskatoon can now call the Lighthouse to check on someone who is passed out in public instead of calling police.

"It's just a better use of our city resources," Mercier explained."People were sometimeshaving to wait very long because police have to respond to things that are greater emergency.It really wasn't effective to deal with people who just needed a safe place to spend the time."

In Saskatoon, those people can go to the Lighthouse.

The Lighthouse opened a"stabilization unit,"or supervised dormitory, in 2013. It was regularly open from 4 p.m. CST to 8 a.m. CST, butthewetshelter will stayopen during this six-month pilot project24 hours a day.

Mercier said that means the beds in detoxcan remainreserved for people who need medical supervision.

Who do you call?

In both Regina and Saskatoon, people comingacross someone passed out in a public place are advised to firstcheck and make sure the person is breathing.

People in Saskatoon can call emergencydispatch, whomay send the Lighthouse mobile outreach vehicle.In Regina, people cancall 9-1-1 and they will dispatch police or ambulance.

If possible, authorities may request the caller to stay with the passed out person until emergency services arrive.