A public health emergency has been declared by BC’s provincial health officer.
It’s because of the explosion in deaths from drug overdoses, and illicit fentanyl in particular.
Dr. Perry Kendall says 474 deaths were recorded last year, up 30% over the previous year.
Already over 200 deaths have happened this year.
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This means Kendall will get immediate info from health authorities ,ER staff and paramedics detailing where, when and with what drug overdoses occur, even when they don’t involve a death.
That info will not be shared with police but used to improve education and outreach efforts, including the delivery of potentially life-saving noxolone kits and training.