Pubdate: Mon, 29 Aug 2016
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Page: 4
Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.theprovince.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Matt Robinson

FRASER HEALTH TAKES BATTLE AGAINST OVERDOSES TO THE STREETS

Fraser Health has recently opened 50 new substance-use recovery beds 
- - including a dozen for pregnant women - and will launch a pair of 
new posters today in a bid to reach specific users at risk in B.C.'s 
ongoing overdose crisis.

The new treatment and prevention measures were designed after looking 
closely at overdose data and finding support gaps, said Victoria Lee, 
chief medical health officer and vice-president for population health 
at Fraser Health. Lee said that while data shows men aged 30-49 tend 
to overdose at greater numbers than other groups, teens, seniors and 
women can be counted among the hundreds dead so far this year.

"Overdoses do not discriminate," Lee said.

"The people affected by this are your sister, your brother, children 
and parents."

Some of the new recovery beds are for young people. Others are for 
women, including women who are expecting or who have newborn 
children. The intention of the new beds is to make sure anyone 
willing and ready to get treatment can get it.

Meanwhile, the new posters are aimed at making sure substance users 
who are not seeking treatment know how to use in safer ways. Scare 
tactics don't necessarily work with people who use drugs regularly, 
Lee said, and these posters don't use them.

"If you use drugs: Have a plan. Go slowly. Use with a buddy. Carry 
Naloxone," reads one. Naloxone is an easy-to-use overdose-reversing 
drug the health authority has distributed to users this year.

"A needle with fentanyl can kill you. A needle with Naloxone can save 
your life," reads the other.

Near the bottom of each poster is a line that reads: "Lethal drugs 
are circulating."

For health providers, that message cannot be overstated. B.C.'s 
provincial health officer called a public health emergency this 
spring when it became clear the province could see as many as 800 
overdose deaths by the end of the year. The new emergency powers gave 
medical health officers fast access to overdose data so they could 
respond quickly to rising threats.

Chief among the threats is Fentanyl. As of last month, the opiate had 
been detected in about 60 per cent of this year's fatal overdoses. It 
is deadly in small amounts and suppliers are cutting it into cocaine, 
heroin, amphetamines, ecstasy and other drugs.

The practical advice on Fraser Health's posters will be familiar to 
the many regular drug users already tuned into the risk of Fentanyl 
and contaminated drugs. But it was written so recreational users who 
may not have heard it before will also get the message.

The posters are destined for bus stops, restaurants and bars, giving 
insight into the wide range of people Fraser Health staff are trying 
to reach. Something Fraser Health's posters do not show are jarring 
images of overdoses or emergency responders. That is intentional, Lee said.

"With the number of overdoses and overdose responses, a lot of people 
have seen death and overdoses occur," she explained.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom