Indigenous overdose deaths jumped drastically from January to May as COVID-19 crisis hit - The Globe and Mail | Canada News Media
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Indigenous overdose deaths jumped drastically from January to May as COVID-19 crisis hit – The Globe and Mail

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An injection kit is held at a supervised consumption site in Surrey, B.C., on June 6, 2017. Sixteen per cent of all overdose deaths between January, 2020, and May, 2020, were First Nations people.

JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press

The number of deaths from illicit drugs among First Nations and Métis people and Inuit in B.C. between January and May of this year jumped by 93 per cent compared with the same period last year, reflecting unintended consequences of the battle against COVID-19.

The numbers show the need for accessible treatment, a safer drug supply and culturally appropriate medical care, health officials say.

“Many of our community members have very specifically said they don’t feel safe going to the hospital or even calling for an ambulance for the fear that they will be treated badly and not receive any kind of support beyond the immediate need of treating an overdose,” Shannon McDonald, Acting Chief Medical Officer of the First Nations Health Authority, said Monday on a video-conference to discuss the data.

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B.C. is grappling with two public-health emergencies – the pandemic, and street drugs with high concentrations of the powerful opioid fentanyl that are killing thousands – at the same time as the provincial government has called an investigation into allegations of racist behaviour in at least one hospital.

Sixteen per cent of all overdose deaths between January, 2020, and May, 2020, were First Nations people, up from 9.9 per cent in 2019, according to the data from the First Nations Health Authority. First Nations people represent 3.3 per cent of the province’s population.

First Nations people had a higher rate of overdose death – 5.6 times the rate for other B.C. residents between January and May.

Measures taken to prevent transmission of COVID-19 – such as reducing capacity in shelters and closing some public facilities – had the unintended negative consequence of forcing some people away from places where they would typically get support, Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry said.

Judy Darcy, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, said in a statement last month that border closings to stop the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 have disrupted the usual illegal supply chains, leading to drugs that are more toxic than ever.

With COVID-19 numbers appearing to be under control, officials are looking at ways to support people who use drugs, including increased access to a safe supply, Dr. Henry said.

“We’re looking at how do we safely open up shelters, a concerted effort by a whole group of people to find supportive housing for people that includes the important mental health and substance use supports that people need more than ever right now,” she said.

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B.C.‘s Chief Coroner, Lisa Lapointe, called for non-judgmental and non-stigmatizing medical care, saying some people who use drugs hesitate to seek help because they fear negative consequences, such as losing their job if they disclose drug use.

“Those are the types of things that push people underground – the continued stigma around using substances, rather than a comprehensive provincial and federal approach to this as a medical issue that we need to treat with medical solutions,” Ms. Lapointe said.

Earlier this month, B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix appointed Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, B.C.‘s former child and youth representative, to investigate allegations that health care workers in at least one emergency room played a game in which they would guess the blood alcohol level of patients, including Indigenous people.

The issue was made public by the Métis Nation BC and BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, which said the allegations came up in training sessions.

B.C. declared a public-health emergency in April, 2016, in relation to an increase in overdose deaths.

In May, the most recent month for which figures are available, there were 170 illicit-drug toxicity deaths, up 93 per cent from the 88 in May, 2019. The May total was the highest recorded for illicit drug deaths in a month in B.C., and works out to about 5.5 a day.

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B.C. mayors seek ‘immediate action’ from federal government on mental health crisis

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VANCOUVER – Mayors and other leaders from several British Columbia communities say the provincial and federal governments need to take “immediate action” to tackle mental health and public safety issues that have reached crisis levels.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says it’s become “abundantly clear” that mental health and addiction issues and public safety have caused crises that are “gripping” Vancouver, and he and other politicians, First Nations leaders and law enforcement officials are pleading for federal and provincial help.

In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier David Eby, mayors say there are “three critical fronts” that require action including “mandatory care” for people with severe mental health and addiction issues.

The letter says senior governments also need to bring in “meaningful bail reform” for repeat offenders, and the federal government must improve policing at Metro Vancouver ports to stop illicit drugs from coming in and stolen vehicles from being exported.

Sim says the “current system” has failed British Columbians, and the number of people dealing with severe mental health and addiction issues due to lack of proper care has “reached a critical point.”

Vancouver Police Chief Adam Palmer says repeat violent offenders are too often released on bail due to a “revolving door of justice,” and a new approach is needed to deal with mentally ill people who “pose a serious and immediate danger to themselves and others.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024

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Canada to donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to combat mpox outbreaks in Africa

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The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.

It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.

Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”

Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.

Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.

On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.

Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”

But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”

“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.

Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.

Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.

Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.

“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.

“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

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How many Nova Scotians are on the doctor wait-list? Number hit 160,000 in June

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HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.

The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.

Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.

“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”

The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.

A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.

Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.

“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.

Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.

The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.

“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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