The Delta Police Department (DPD) on Sunday posted another reminder of precautions people should take following another two deaths believed due to the toxic drug supply.
Over a 48-hour period on the weekend, officers attended a sudden death in Ladner and another in North Delta, believed to be connected to toxic drugs but police were waiting for toxicology results to confirm.
“We urge those who may be using drugs to take precautions, not use alone, and to use safeguards such as the Lifeguard app,” the DPD posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Following the DPD post, the provincial government on Monday announced an expansion of what it describes as a made-in-B.C. model of addictions care, improving the way people access services.
Road to Recovery establishes a seamless continuum of care for addictions from detox to treatment and after-care. The expansion will include 100 substance-use treatment beds and outpatient services in all health authorities, as well as a single-access line to get connected to addictions care in each health-authority region, the province explained in a news release.
With the expansion, anyone in B.C. will have the ability to call a single line to get information, receive an assessment, develop an individualized care plan and access treatment.
For those who need treatment, they may access detox services or longer-term treatment services, which are also available as a bed-based service or outpatient supports, the province noted.
In a recent report to the Delta Police Board, DPD Chief Neil Dubord outlined the need for a continuum of services to go along with the province’s pilot drug decriminalization of possessing smaller amounts of hard drugs.
The report outlined several insights and recommendations for integrating decriminalization into a holistic human services system.
The system needs to provide comprehensive care, ranging from prevention and immediate access to detox and treatment, as well as sustained recovery and support services, the report states.
The report also notes that an estimated 68,000 youth between the ages of 15 and 24 meet the criteria for a substance use disorder, yet B.C. has only 24 publicly funded treatment beds for youth. Similarly, while more than 100,000 adults in B.C. are diagnosed with opioid use disorders, there are only 3,277 publicly funded treatment beds available, highlighting a significant gap between the need for resources and what is available.
Meanwhile, the provincial government last week wasted no time rejecting a recommendation from Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry for the province to expand its safer supply program and allow people to obtain opioids without a prescription.
