As the number of opioid related deaths and overdoses rise across Canada, Ottawa is gearing up to combat the issue before it hits the capital with the same force it has in other parts of the country.
With close to three overdose calls a day in Ottawa, it’s clear the crisis is quickly approaching the capital.
In mid-November, after a statement was released by the Government of Canada regarding the opioid crisis, representatives of more than 40 health organizations, including the Somerset West Community Health Centre and the Centretown Community Health Centre, attended a two-day summit in Ottawa regarding the crisis.
Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott and Ontario Minister of Health and Long Term Care Eric Hoskins were also both in attendance. The two ministers expressed confidence that with the help of other stakeholders, including local health centres, governments possess the means to combat the problem.
Both the Somerset West and Centretown community health centres offer addiction counselling and promote awareness of the dangers of opioids, alongside Ottawa Public Health.
Stan Pferschmidt, who works as a Somerset West hotline outreach worker and as part of its clean needle exchange program, said the crisis is hitting Ontario hard and that he is a witness to it almost every day.
He explained that Ontario is nowhere near where it needs to be when it comes to dealing with this crisis. He also said Health Canada’s summit lacked input from those most at risk.
“The drug user perspective was not there,” he said. “These are the people on the front lines feeling the deaths of their friends and loved ones; (summit officials) really didn’t talk to any of them about what their solutions are.”
One of the main solutions proposed at the summit was stronger restrictions on opioid prescriptions.
“In my opinion, I think that is the most detrimental thing they could do,” said Pferschmidt. “If there are no prescriptions, it will force them to buy on the black market and that will make it 10 times more risky.”
He added that Health Canada needs to take the initiative to move forward in declaring this issue a national health emergency.
Ottawa Public Health is continuing to issue warnings against using these drugs via the city-funded agency’s social media platforms, most often Twitter. OPH is also devoting space on its website to educating the public about the highly addictive pain-killers.
The site also provides information on how to recognize if someone is suffering an overdose and how to help them if you are present.
The Ontario government has released an action plan to try to decrease the prescriptions of these drugs, and is monitoring those who have previously had it prescribed to them.
Although the drug is most often obtained through a prescription, dangerous street variations have been popping up across the country.
Ontario’s plan also includes overdose monitoring, removing high-strength formulations of opioids from Ontario health plans and expansion of the already province wide Fentanyl Patch program, in which patches similar to those given to people quitting smoking are given to users to help them gradually get off of the drug.
Regardless of these plans, many health professionals are still pushing for Philpott to make a formal declaration of a crisis.
With more than 600 opioid related deaths in the last 10 months in British Columbia alone, the declaration of a formal state of crisis would allow heath officials “to take immediate action to help save lives,” said federal NDP health critic Don Davies.
This would give the crisis precedent, he said, over other less threatening health issues and put those suffering on the forefront for receiving care and rehabilitation, ultimately saving lives.
Hoskins said during the summit that the steep rise in opioid overdoses “frightens me to the core.”