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A huge spike in overdose calls that had BC Paramedics struggling to treat 130 patients in one day were provoked by a combination of poisoned drug supply and liquidity injection in the street, according to observers.
The record of one day in April 2017 a bleak reminder that two years after declaring a public health emergency, the province remains grappling with an overdose crisis.
"We think that what was behind was a particularly toxic type of fentanyl," said Linda Lupini, the executive. Vice President of BC Emergency Health Services
"We were hearing about a multiple overdose about a week ago and we suspected that there was some something more toxic than usual in the supply of drugs. This was in addition to the income badistance checks that came out on Wednesday, which would explain the situation we were facing.
Usually, paramedics face about 60 such calls each day, said Lupini, but that number has gone up to 107. He stayed high on Thursday at 101. On Friday, he hit 130. [19659002MuchofthiswasattributabletoVancouverwhichreceived45ofthesecallsonFridaywhileparamedicsanswered20callstoSurrey29intherestoftheLowerMainland17ontheislandVancouver16intheinteriorofBCand3inthenorthoftheprovince
"I am grateful that we have no deaths," said Prime Minister John Horgan from a press conference in Victoria. I think of the professionalism of our first responders … to think that this has occurred 130 times, it is amazing, and that is what we have to do to get out the scourge of our province.
At the Overdose Prevention Society of BC a 12-cabin supervised injection site on Hastings St The director, Dave Hann, said he had treated two people at the hospital. 39, using Naloxone, the opioid antidote.
"It was pretty crazy. After the day of well-being, it's usually a little crazy. They collapse and run out of money, so it gets more or less sharp, "he said.
" I'm used to it. At this point, I remain calm and do what I am doing, "he said.
The spikes reminded OPS founder Sarah Blyth of the situation on the street at the height of the dead a year ago. "In a way, we are better able to react than we have ever been, but we are still in a total crisis," said Mr. Blyth
. Jordan Westfall of the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs
Some 620 people died between January and May of this year of opioid overdose, according to the BC Coroners Service. This is slightly behind the death toll of 2017, when 1,449 people died.
But despite the provincial investment, it's a sign that the main cause of the huge number of deaths has not been properly targeted, he said. well is poisoned, "he said." The supply of narcotics is completely poisoned and we must offer a safer alternative otherwise we will see thousands of people dying in the province. "
He said that the federal government must use a regulation that allows people to have access to drugs in exceptional circumstances, and BC the government must radically expand services that allow access to opioids safe as the Crosstown Clinic, which supplies heroin to about 130 people.
The legalization of illicit drugs would make clean sources legal and help users avoid contamination with fentanyl and its others "
"If there were safe, accessible and non-judgmental situations where people could access it would make a huge difference," he said.
Prime Minister Justin Trud water, which is controlled by the federal government. criminalized, said that while marijuana will be legalized on October 17, his government does not plan to legalize heroin.
Marshall Smith, the co-author of a report on drug recovery, said the other major gap in the province is not funding a full continuum of care for addiction, treatment, and treatment. recovery.
"We have done the same thing over and over again and expect different results, so we are not going anywhere," Smith said.
"It's an addiction crisis for sure, but it's also a crisis of community and connection.We must do a better job of preventing that from the very beginning."
Smith called for the creation of recovery services in high schools and universities to detect dependency and to react quickly.
you could only qualify at the fourth stage, this would not have a lot of sense, you want to detect early and treat early, we do not seem to be taking the same path that we are doing with this disease as other diseases. "
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