Information bulletin
Overdose prevention site to open in Powell River
Vancouver, BC – Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) in partnership with the Powell River Community Action Team (CAT) are planning to open an overdose prevention service in Powell River, where the fatal overdose rates are the second highest in the VCH region. The Powell River Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) will open in June in a temporary structure in a lot on Joyce Avenue near Duncan Street.
"Communities in every corner of the province are impacted by the overdose crisis, including Powell River," says Judy Darcy, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. "We know these services work. They save lives. This OPS will help ensure that people who use substances in Powell River will have access to life saving services and connections to treatment and recovery and social services where and when they need them."
In 2018, BC Emergency Health Services reported 76 calls for overdose in Powell River. There have been 26 calls for overdose so far this year, as of May 26. Those numbers do not capture all opioid overdoses in the community and may also include cases of alcohol intoxication and poisoning ingestions.
"We want to make sure we put overdose response and treatment services where people need them. Within VCH, Powell River has been the hardest hit community by the overdose crisis and contaminated drug supply, next to Vancouver," says Dr. Geoff McKee, Medical Health Officer, Vancouver Coastal Health. "The majority of people who die, hide their drug use, and sadly they die alone. Overdose prevention sites in VCH have saved hundreds of people from a fatal overdose."
Darlana Treloar's son, Sean, died from an overdose three years ago just a few blocks away from where the overdose prevention site will be located. He was 27.
Darlana talks about the night her son died: "I know from my son's cell phone records that he was looking for a safe place to use that night. And nobody was home, or they were busy. So he went and used in a bathroom alone, so that's where his life ended. This service will save lives."
"This overdose prevention service is so badly needed," says Shannan Ollson, Powell River Community Action Team and SUSTAIN peer network member. "There are overdoses in the laundromat, at Larry Gouthro Park, in the bathroom at convenience stores. This new site will give people a safe place to be monitored so they can get the help they need."
VCH will provide clinical support and harm reduction supplies, while PREP Community Programs (PREP), a local not-for-profit agency, will manage the site day to day. PREP staff and local peers, who have been trained in overdose prevention and harm reduction, will monitor clients and connect them to life-saving services like detox, addictions counselling and other medical treatment.
The City of Powell River is leasing the land to the proponents for free for one year. The service is being funded by VCH as well as Powell River's Community Action Team (CAT) which includes members from 67 local organizations including municipal government, Tla'amin Nation, first responders, frontline community agencies, experts, residents and families with lived experience.
"Stigma and shame cause people to use alone, putting them at extreme risk of fentanyl poisoning and overdose," said Kathryn Colby, Coordinator, Powell River Community Action Team. "Middle aged men, many with young families, are incredibly vulnerable to accidental overdose death, leaving a social toll on the community which we have yet to fully realize. This overdose prevention site pilot is a community-created project, designed to address these preventable tragedies."
VCH, PREP, and the City of Powell River will be developing a good neighbour agreement, which will outline the society's commitment to minimize impact on the surrounding community. As with other OPS sites in the VCH region, staff will ensure a safe and well-kept environment around the service.
VCH has six other overdose prevention sites, all in Vancouver.
VCH is responsible for the delivery of $3.3 billion in community, hospital and residential care to more than one million people in communities including Richmond, Vancouver, the North Shore, Sunshine Coast, Sea to Sky corridor, Powell River, Bella Bella and Bella Coola. VCH also provides specialized care and services for people throughout BC, and is the province's hub of health care education and research.
PREP Society is a not-for-profit agency that provides support and advocacy for people in Powell River who are in transition, who are marginalized, and/ or are in need of additional community resources. Operating since 1984, our programs are designed to address the current and emerging needs of individuals and families across all demographics. Our goal is to give support when needed while building capacity for independence and self-advocacy as appropriate.