An overdose is when more drugs have been taken than the body can handle. The toxic drug supply over the past four years has led to many unintended overdoses or “poisonings".

Learn the signs of an overdose

Naloxone training - Toward the Heart - Learn how to respond to an overdose

If you use substances, follow these tips to reduce the chance of experiencing an overdose and to stay safe:          

• Don't use alone

• Start with a small amount

• Mixing substances, including alcohol, increases risk of overdose

• Use where help is easily available (e.g. Overdose Prevention Site or Supervised Consumption site, or around other people)
  

• Make a plan/know how to respond in case of an overdose
  

• Carry a Take Home Naloxone kit, find a site on Towards the Heart
  

• Have your drugs checked before using at VCH.ca/drugchecking
  

• Use the LifeGuard App
  

• Talk to your health care provider about alternatives to toxic substances
  

Concerned about someone?

Having courageous conversations about substance use begins by being a good listener. Learn more about how to reach out to the people you care about. How to have courageous conversations - BC Gov

Stop stigma

The opioid overdose emergency is affecting people from all walks of life but those affected continue to feel stigmatized. Stigma, or negative attitudes or beliefs, can have a major impact on the quality of life of people who use drugs, people in recovery and their families. It can prevent people from getting help. It can also reduce the quality of help people receive and make their condition worse.

Learn how you can stop stigma - Visit the Government of Canada webpage on stigma

Grieving a loved one

The BC Centre on Substance Use, BC Bereavement Helpline and the Affected Persons Liaison with the BC Coroners Service have developed Gone too soon: Navigating grief and loss as a result of substance use.

For parents

While youth aged 10 to 18 are not considered high risk for an overdose death, school-aged youth are not untouched by tragedy, either directly or through family, friends, and media attention to this emergency.

Letter to parents and caregivers about drug overdose
Talking to youth about drug overdoses
Free youth addiction services

For young people

Lots of people are talking about drug overdoses these days because more and more people in BC are having them, including some young people.

What youth need to know about drug overdoses
Youth handout: Reduce your risk of a drug overdose
Free youth addiction services

Recently released inmates (from custody)

Drug overdose is the leading cause of death for individuals recently released from prison. More than 17,000 inmates are released from BC Corrections every year. Approximately 30 per cent of BC Corrections inmates are diagnosed with a substance use disorder.

Studies have shown increased mortality due to illicit drug overdose among people who were recently released from prison, especially within the first two weeks after being released.

Former inmates should be aware of this risk and access health services to reduce their risk:

• Overdose Outreach Team (OOT)
  

• Take Home Naloxone
  

• Access and Assessment Centre (AAC)
  

Help us warn people about contaminated street drugs

If someone ODs, tell us what happened and we'll send out an overdose alert. Use one of the following methods: 

1. Fill out this anonymous form to report an overdose
   

2. Text “bad dope” to (236) 999-DOPE (3673)
   

Get drug contamination alerts

If you’d like to receive drug contamination alerts, text “alert” to (236) 999-DOPE (3673).

Unintentional deaths and injury from opioid overdose are preventable with overdose and naloxone education. Naloxone can quickly reverse an overdose. People can be trained to recognize and respond to an overdose by using a free take home naloxone kit. The training is free and takes 20 minutes. Find the nearest Take Home Naloxone site in the VCH area with the map below. For sites across BC, visit Toward the Heart - Site Locator. 

• Watch this video from Toward the Heart about how to use naloxone
  

• Zoom naloxone training facilitated by peers
  

• Learn the signs of an overdose
  

• How to use naloxone infographic
  

• Naloxone risk assessment tool for non-public sector organizations
  

• Naloxone risk assessment tool for public sector organizations
  

• COVID-19: Harm reduction and overdose response‎

Muscle rigidity

Fentanyl-induced muscle rigidity, also known as "chest wall rigidity" and "wooden chest syndrome" is a complication from injecting fentanyl intravenously. The thoracic muscles become rigid, and affect breathing. It can also impact the abdominal muscles and cause them to become rigid. It makes breathing hard, but naloxone can help. Toward the Heart, part of the BC Centre for Disease Control, has created a Fentanyl-induced muscle rigidity tip sheet. 

Our team of outreach and social workers provide connections for people who have recently experienced opioid overdose and/or are at high risk for opioid overdose to substance use care and support. 

We help clients: 

• Navigation to appropriate services (e.g., primary care, detox, treatment, etc.)

• Support in accessing Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) (e.g., methadone, suboxone, iOAT, etc.)

• Overdose prevention education
  

Call (604) 360-2874 and visit the Overdose Outreach Team page.

As part of Vancouver Coastal Health’s (VCH) harm reduction strategy, and in response to the current provincial opioid overdose crisis, the Overdose Emergency Response (OER) team provides resources and direction on:

• Training VCH staff to respond to and administer naloxone in the case of a suspected opioid overdose;

• Training and dispensing Take Home Naloxone (THN) kits to eligible clients;

• Ordering VCH staff naloxone kits and BCCDC Take Home Naloxone kits, including training supplies;

• Becoming a THN kit dispensing site;
  

• Relevant VCH and BCCDC practice guidelines and policies;
  

• Relevant community overdose response resources

Email overdoseresponse@vch.ca. 

• View the VCH overdose surveillance updates.

• Visit the Opioid addiction & treatment page to find the overdose prevention checklist for service providers and the guideline for the treatment of opioid addiction for physicians.
  

• Request support from the Overdose Emergency Response Team? Email overdoseresponse@vch.ca
  

Overdose prevention checklist - A checklist for service providers who work with people who use drugs, for developing overdose prevention and response policies and protocols.

Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) Manual - A manual for service providers who work with people who use drugs, for developing overdose prevention and response policies and protocols (to develop OPS). 

Housing Overdose Prevention Site (HOPS) Manual - A manual for service providers who work with people who use drugs, for developing overdose prevention and response policies and protocols within housing facilities (to develop HOPS).

Overdose prevention checklist for washrooms - A manual for service providers who work with people who use drugs, for developing overdose prevention and response policies and protocols within washrooms.

Naloxone risk assessment tool for public sector organizations.

Guide to episodic-ops‎

Caring for vulnerable populations during a COVID-19 public health emergency

OD prevention & response in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: recomendations for social service settings checklist

Overdose response for community members

• January
  
• February
  
• April
  

*Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, VCH Public Health has changed to producing quarterly overdose reports. For that reason, monthly reports are only available for January and February, with quarterly reports beginning in April 2020.

• December 2019
• November 2019
• October 2019
• September 2019
• August 2019
• July 2019
  
• June 2019
• May 2019
  
• April 2019
• March 2019
• February 2019
• January 2019

• December 2018
  
• November 2018
  
• October 2018
  
• September 2018
  
• August 2018
  
• July 2018
  
• June 2018
  
• May 2018
  
• April 2018
  
• March 2018
  
• February 2018
  
• January 2018