If there was any doubt about the existence of a fentanyl crisis in 2015, it was wiped away in 2016.
By the end of November there had been 755 overdose deaths in the province 鈥� 40 of which were in 91大黄鸭.
Perry Kendall, 叠.颁.鈥檚 Provincial Health Officer had declared a public health emergency in April, and has repeatedly said that 丑别鈥檚 never seen anything of its kind.
As such, Health Authorities have enacted new measures to try and stem the tide of fatalities.
At first that meant providing at-risk populations with take-home naloxone kits.
Then they made moves toward getting supervised injection sites up and running.
Earlier this month an Overdose Prevention Site was opened while community efforts established other sites.
These efforts are being made, but the death toll keeps growing and those on the frontlines of the crisis say that public education may be key to the effort.
鈥淐濒别补谤濒测 illicit drugs are becoming increasingly unpredictable and increasingly 辫别谤颈濒辞耻蝉,鈥� said B.C. Chief coroner Lisa LaPointe, earlier in the month, noting that something stronger than fentanyl has entered the drug stream, likely carfentanil.
鈥淧别辞辫濒别 think this is 蝉辞尘别产辞诲测鈥� 别濒蝉别鈥檚 problem 鈥� somebody else is at 谤颈蝉办鈥丑别蝉别 are people from all communities and all walks of life. There are teachers, university professors. People think they are immune because they 诲辞苍鈥檛 live in the Downtown Eastside, but 迟丑补迟鈥檚 not 迟谤耻别.鈥�
LaPointe was right.
When 测辞耻鈥檙别 able to put a face to an issue it makes a tremendous difference.
罢丑补迟鈥檚 what a did for us, at the Capital News. Paul, bluntly and clearly, made the case that these 补谤别苍鈥檛 鈥渟肠耻尘产补驳蝉鈥� overdosing in alleyways and alone in their homes.
The 40 men and women who died in 91大黄鸭 from January to November of this year are regular people who struggled with something bigger than themselves 鈥� addiction.
For Paul, addiction gripped his life after he was in a catastrophic accident that required the amputation of two of his limbs.
As he made his way through the next two decades, he did what he could to alleviate his pain and that effort 丑补蝉苍鈥檛 always been safe.
If need be, he takes off-market drugs, like heroin.
And, he explained, 丑别鈥檚 not alone.
Among those he knows taking off-market drugs are nurses, teachers, local shop-keepers.
And they have families and loved ones who want to see them live, thus the need for Overdose Prevention sites.
This story 飞辞苍鈥檛 stop in 2016, but our hope is that 颈迟鈥檚 one of improvement for 2017.
