According to the BC Coroners Service, in September 2019 79 died from an overdose across BC, including 26 people in the VCH region.
In October 2019 there were 508 overdoses seen at nine VCH Emergency Departments. The majority of overdoses occurred in males (71%) and in people aged 19 to 39 years (55%).
In October 2019, there were 9,715 visits to the supervised injection room. Among those, 60 overdoses were reversed.
In October 2019, there were 2,748 visits to the supervised injection room. Among those, 2 overdoses were reversed.
In October 2019, there were 43,945 visits to all supervised injection rooms. Among those, 146 overdoses were reversed.
In October 2019, 233 drug checks were performed and 58% of substances tested contained fentanyl.
Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health Care are extremely concerned about the high number of overdoses and overdose deaths in our region and throughout the province and continue to take steps to respond. VCH & PHC and its partners are taking a number of steps to reduce opioid/fentanyl-related overdoses, including new actions this month:
The Richmond CAT hosted their final wrap-up event: "Roar in the Face of Stigma" on October 1st to celebrate the accomplishments of the CAT. This event was well attended, with the deputy Mayor and local peers sharing insights on the need to challenge stigma and continue to support people who use drugs in Richmond.