Two more overdose deaths in BC
By Contributor
Kamloops RCMP and the BC Coroners Service continue to investigate the overdose of two city residents Friday in Spoolmak Country.
RCMP officers were called to assist BC Ambulance to a reported overdose in Rayleigh at approximately 9:30 p.m. Two residents, a 44-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman, were found dead from apparent drug use.
RCMP said in a media release these latest overdose deaths are a reminder of the risks associated with illicit drug use.
Earlier this month the province declared a public health emergency because of an increase in opioid overdose deaths in recent months.
The new powers enacted by the provincial health officer provide one more tool in the robust provincial strategy to address this public health crisis. Currently information on overdoses is only reported if someone dies, and there is some delay in the information.
“Health authorities have consistently asked for more data that will help inform responses and prevent future overdoses,” said Dr. Perry Kendall said recently.
“This is the first step in making that happen. Over the next few weeks, I’ll work with medical health officers, health authorities, emergency room staff, paramedics and other first responders and the BC Coroners Service to determine how best to collect and share the data.”
Information regarding the circumstances of any overdose in the province where emergency personnel or health care workers respond or provide care will be reported as quickly as possible to the regional health authorities’ medical health officers.
This is expected to include location, the drugs used and how they were taken. The information will be reported for both fatal overdoses and overdoses where the person recovers.
