Thirty-eight
people died from accidental apparent opioid overdoses in 2020 in New
Brunswick, according to new figures from the federal government.
It's
the highest toll of accidental opioid overdoses in the province since
at least 2005, according to figures kept by CBC News, as the country
faces an opioid overdose crisis, described by some as a shadow pandemic.
While
New Brunswick's numbers fluctuate and are not as stark as those in some
other provinces — British Columbia recorded nearly 1,700 accidental
opioid deaths in 2020, federal data shows — they're still cause for
concern, according to chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer
Russell.
"There is no question that during COVID, during the
pandemic, that mental health and addictions issues and substance-use
disorders have definitely increased in terms of number of people being
affected, and the severity of the types of symptoms that they see," she
said.
Russell co-chairs the special advisory committee on the
epidemic of opioid overdoses, along with Dr. Theresa Tam, the chief
public health officer of Canada.
They released modelling this
month indicating that opioid deaths are projected to remain high or
increase, with as many as 1,600 to 2,000 people in Canada predicted to
lose their lives to opioid overdoses in each quarter of 2021.
"A
number of factors have likely contributed to a worsening of the opioid
overdose crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, including the
increasingly toxic and unpredictable drug supply; increased feelings of
isolation, stress, anxiety and depression; and the limited availability
or accessibility of health and social services for people who use drugs,
including life-saving harm reduction and treatment," a statement from
Tam and Russell says.
Figures from New Brunswick show 13 people
died of accidental opioid overdoses between January and June 2021. Those
figures sometimes climb as autopsies are completed.
"Will this
continue to get worse? I think that can happen based on what is
happening with the pandemic," Russell said earlier this month in
response to a question about opioid overdoses in New Brunswick.
"Certainly in British Columbia, that has been the trend."
Loss of 38 lives 'devastating'
Hearing that 38 people lost their lives in 2020 is "devastating" for Dr. Sara Davidson.
She
is the medical director of River Stone Recovery Centre in Fredericton, a
clinic providing "trauma-informed treatment for substance use disorder,
with a focus on opiate and stimulant replacement therapy." She sees
these deaths as preventable.
Dr.
Sara Davidson says the province needs to treat underlying issues, such
as trauma and homelessness, before it can address substance use
disorder. (Gary Moore/CBC)
"There's so much stigma that's associated with substance use disorder," Davidson said.
"It
continues to be something that's very hidden. A lot of people that are
dying of overdoses are dying because they're using alone, and COVID-19
has just really exaggerated the amount of isolation that everybody is
experiencing."
Many of her clients are dealing with mental health problems, trauma and poverty on top of substance use disorder.
Combined
with the pandemic and challenges accessing mental health services, it
has created what Davidson described as "a perfect storm."
"It's a tragedy because it is actually a preventable condition," Davidson said.
"It's
a treatable condition. It's just one that if we remove the veil of
stigma, we'd be able to bring it back into being a health care issue,
which it is, and then help it not be a disorder anymore."
Overdose prevention site saw about 200 visits in 18 days
In
Moncton, the province's first overdose prevention site has been open
for less than a month, but has already seen about 200 visits from 50
different people.
The site, open at Ensemble Greater Moncton's downtown office, offers people a place to test their drugs and use them.
This is the room at Ensemble Greater Moncton where people are able to use their drugs. (Submitted by Debby Warren)
After
they use, people can hang out in what they call the "chill-out chairs"
to make sure they don't have a negative reaction to what they've taken.
"That's
200 possibilities of people who may have injected elsewhere and may not
have had somebody to give them Naloxone or access to 911 or any of
that," said Joanne Marshall-Forgie, an overdose prevention site
co-ordinator with Ensemble Greater Moncton. Naloxone is a medication
that can help reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Marshall-Forgie,
who works in the consumption room with clients, sees the time people
spend at the clinic after using their drugs as vital.
That's the opportunity for staff to chat with clients, who may ask to see a nurse or for help getting into affordable housing.
"Because
of the [overdose prevention site], research has shown that people are
more likely to access rehab services, more likely to access
opportunities for detox, more likely to access health care," she said.
For
now, its budget means the overdose prevention site can only stay open
during Ensemble's business hours, but Marshall-Forgie would eventually
like to see the site open 24 hours a day.
Of the 50 clients who
have used the overdose prevention site in its first 18 days, she
estimated all but five or six people are precariously housed. Some stay
in a shelter, but many are sleeping rough.
"Overdoses are still happening at night outside, where people do not have protection," she said.
Unclear when additional overdose prevention sites could open
Davidson
said she's been in talks with Ensemble Greater Moncton to look at
developing a safe injection site in Fredericton, with wraparound support
that helps people access services such as mental health support.
Implementing
overdose prevention sites was listed as a priority in the province's
addiction and mental health action plan for 2021 to 2025, but the report
doesn't specify when additional sites might open.
New
Brunswick has seen more than 2,500 take home Naloxone kits distributed
in the province since 2018, according to the province. (Sarah MacMillan/CBC)
Along
with safe consumption sites, Davidson said, the province needs greater
care for "concurrent disorders," when people are dealing with both
addiction and mental health problems, along with homelessness.
"Until
all of those are holistically looked at, then we're not really going to
be able to help end the issues related to substance use disorder."
According
to the province's most recent report on opioid surveillance, 2020 also
saw "the highest proportion of hospitalizations for accidental
poisonings and the lowest proportion of intentional poisonings."
"The
total number of opioid-related poisoning hospitalizations in 2020 were
within an expected range; however, there is a notable peak in the
proportion of individuals aged 60-69 years compared to previous years,"
the report says.
Since 2018, more than 2,500 take home kits of Naloxone have been given out through distribution sites in the province.
