The parents of a man who died of an overdose at a Vancouver shelter two years ago are now suing the charity.
Gladys Akimana was living in a shelter in August 2022, run by Covenant House Vancouver when he overdosed on a mix of opioids and alcohol.
According to the lawsuit, his case manager and probation officer recommended that he live at Covenant House as he “was a young person with complex needs who could not live at home, and the premises would provide safe shelter and support.”
Akimana started living at Covenant House in June 2022.
The lawsuit states that staff at Covenant House “knew or ought to have known” of Akimana’s personal circumstances, including “his mental health issues and issues with alcohol and substance use.”
It added that Covenant House staff should “knew or ought to have known” that when intoxicated, Akimana had in the past experienced suicidal ideation and symptoms of psychosis.
The lawsuit says that Covenant House staff “knew or ought to have known” that Akimana had been recently diagnosed with schizophrenia and been prescribed medication to treat alcohol use disorder.
Get weekly health news
Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.
“It was reasonably foreseeable to the Defendant (Covenant House) that a vulnerable young person like Mr. Akimana would have a medical emergency as a result of alcohol and / or substance use while residing at the Premises (1280 Seymour Street, Vancouver,” the suit reads.
Around Aug. 24, the lawsuit says Akimana came home and staff could tell he was intoxicated so they denied him entry and refused to let him into this room. “They forced him to go back out into public and to return when he no longer appeared intoxicated,” it says.
He returned later that day and appeared to be “less intoxicated” and was allowed back to his room.
The lawsuit states that Covenant House staff did not perform a well-being check until the next morning when Akimana was found deceased.
His cause of death was later ruled to be the result of concurrent use of opioids and alcohol that resulted in respiratory suppression and failure.
Akimana’s parents said in the document that they have suffered the loss of future financial support because of their son’s death. They are seeking undisclosed damages.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Covenant House did not respond to a request for comment.
More on Health
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.