Interior Health’s Vernon storefront is preventing overdose deaths

The Ministry of Health announced two rounds of funding for initiatives to combat the crisis.

“Vernon received one overdose prevention nurse, which ensures anyone coming into the hospital as a result of an overdose gets connected to services,” Colleen McEwan, Director, Clinical Operations – Mental Health & Substance Use and Allied Health, North Okanagan, said.

Harm reduction supplies have also been put into the community, like take home naloxone kits.

The B.C. Coroners Service reports that in 2021, 88 per cent of illicit drug toxicity deaths occurred inside (58 per cent in private residences and 30 per cent in other residences including social and supportive housing, shelters, and hotels and other indoor locations) and 11 per cent occurred outside in vehicles, sidewalks, streets, parks, etc.

Vernon also has intensive substance abuse day treatment, that was moved to zoom as a result of COVID protocols.

Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) is another recommended treatment of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). OAT involves an opioid agonist medication prescribed and monitored by a health care provider. The primary medications used are suboxone and methadone.

“In Vernon we have an OAT nurse, we have OAT prescribers, and we are looking to expand that service to one day a week downtown,” McEwan stated.

The combination of response is showing up in the number of people saved.

“Mathematical modelling was done to analyze what the impact of those interventions [was] and the discovery really was that 60 per cent of all death events were averted,” Goodison said. “We know that the deaths in the Interior would have been about twice as high.”

The 32nd Avenue Mental Health and Substance Use storefront opened in May 2020, with a number of specialists working from the location.

“Since we have opened the overdose prevention service (OPS), we have had 3,200 visits, 920 unique visitors and 572 were first-time visitors,” McEwan said. “We find that 88 per cent of the visits are for harm reduction supply, distribution and collection We also do education at the same time, and 11 per cent of the people that come are using the supervised consumption services.”

The facility, as a condition of opening, is restricted to the hours 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with most people visiting in the afternoon.

“We have had 30 overdose events since we opened. Only one person had to go to the hospital, there has been no deaths. And of those 30 events, 29 of them were managed by the staff at the site,” McEwan noted.

Once a week, what is called a FTIR machine, is available to check what is in the drug supply. The unit uses infrared light to detect a large number of substances.

“I think you are doing a great job. I’m your neighbor across the street (his business/MQN Architecture). I’m surprised the number of patrons is as high as it is, because I really don’t see much traffic coming and going. We certainly haven’t had any issues. We were all nervous a year ago and I would say the facility couldn’t be run better,” Coun. Brian Quiring said.

“My wish list would be more FTIR machines, more weekend and evening staff, and to open up the OPS in the evening,” McEwan said.

by Kevin Rothwell

Interior Health’s Vernon storefront is preventing overdose deaths

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