Communities across British Columbia are reeling from a sudden spike in overdose cases and, in some other cases, breaking records.
According to the Vancouver Fire Department, it responded to 54 overdose calls in the city last Friday. Just a few months ago, the service said it was responding to 16 overdoses a day.
Vancouver fire said due to the exposure to “extreme levels of human suffering”, firefighters are limited to 81 shifts at Firehall 2 to try and limit compassion fatigue.
Firehall 2 is located close to the Downtown Eastside.
“This is really felt in the DTES, and the neighbouring fire halls all coming in to assist for that urgent need for a number of extremely urgent requests for immediate life-threatening help,” Matthew Trudeau, spokesperson for Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, said.
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Marking International Overdose Awareness Day in B.C.
It is a crisis that is affecting communities outside the Downtown Eastside.
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Island Health says on Nov. 18, there was a “dramatic increase” in toxic drug poisonings in the Cowichan area.
Front-line workers called it one of the worst episodes in the ongoing toxic drug crisis.
“It was happening in clusters, so individuals were using a substance and essentially dropping flat right after they used it,” Kassidy Holt, who works at the Warmland House Shelter’s Cowichan Valley branch, told Global News.
“For that night, I think the count was over 80.”
Holt said that staff were scrambling to save lives. “Making the 911 calls, administering Narcan, checking airways, trying to make sure everybody is still breathing,” Holt added.
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This was not an isolated event.
“Within our office, we had a lot of people that were basically unconscious that we were kind of having to watch over,” James Kaufman, ANKORS’ drug checking program coordinator based in Cranbrook.
ANKORS stands for AIDS Network Outreach and Support Society.
The First Nations Health Authority says the spike is likely due to a strong veterinary anesthetic, known as medetomidine, being mixed with fentanyl in illicit drugs.
Last week, Island Health issued a drug poisoning overdose advisory for the Cowichan Valley, directing people who use drugs to the overdose prevention site.
That advisory has now been extended for another week.
“Because it is really tough to know, with the unregulated drug supply, what could be in there and what could be in there next,” Dr. Melissa Wan with Island Health said.
B.C.’s health minister says the province is focused on expanding access to treatment and recovery options.
“We have to double down on the services that we are providing to people to separate them from that toxic drug supply,” Josie Osborne said.
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