Pubdate: Sat, 18 Feb 2017
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2017 Times Colonist
Contact:  http://www.timescolonist.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481
Author: Carla Wilson
Page: A3

OVERDOSE CASES AT SHELTER ALL SURVIVED

Every one of the 26 people who overdosed on illicit drugs at Our Place
in January survived, some treated with oxygen alone to keep them breathing.

As a result, they did not join the 116 people who died of drug
overdoses in B.C. last month.

The 18 deaths recorded on Vancouver Island matched the high seen in
November, and was up two from December, according to a report from the
B.C. Coroners Service. Overall numbers in B.C. were down from a record
high of 142 in December.

Sixteen of the overdoses at Our Place occurred in its temporary
overdose-prevention unit, said Grant McKenzie, the organization's
communications director. The unit provides a clean place to use drugs
with paramedics on hand.

"If somebody is in there, there's basically a guarantee that they are
going to survive," McKenzie said.

None of the deaths recorded in B.C. last month took place in
supervised consumption or overdose-prevention sites, the B.C. Coroners
Service said. The sites, including two in Victoria and one in Nanaimo,
were opened in response to the drug overdose crisis in B.C.

McKenzie said Our Place has added a third booth for drug users to
respond to the need.

Seven of the people who overdosed in the unit were treated with only
oxygen, he said.

Opioids such as fentanyl and heroin can shut down the respiratory
system. The chance of brain damage is mitigated if paramedics can
administer oxygen and keep a person breathing.

Naloxone, which counteracts the effects of opioids, is typically
administered in more dire circumstances, after someone has stopped
breathing.

Having a paramedic on site means that person can help with overdoses
elsewhere on site, McKenzie said, including the 10 that took place in
washrooms, where people often go because of the shame and stigma
attached to drug use.

"A lot of times when someone overdoses in a washroom, we come across
them when they are down and not breathing," he said.

Among those who died in B.C. last month, nearly 60 per cent were
between the ages of 30 and 49, the coroners service said. Four out of
five were male.

Fentanyl, a powerful opioid that can be fatal in small amounts, has
been detected in about 60 per cent of the 2016 overdoses examined to
date.

According to the coroners service, 922 people died of apparent
overdoses in 2016, up from 513 in the previous year. Of the 2016
deaths, 153 were on Vancouver Island - 66 in Victoria and 28 in Nanaimo.

January's numbers were down from December, but it still recorded the
third-highest number of fatalities for a single month.

Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe urged people who are not already dependent
to avoid drugs. "The continuing high number of deaths show that the
risks remain extreme."
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