The stigma and shame surrounding substance use are dangerous obstacles that stand in the way for folks wanting to seek resources and support, and they need to be addressed if we want to emerge from the opioid crisis.
This is the driving force behind the “End the Stigma” campaign, a collaborative project between the City of Delta and its partners – Tsawwassen First Nation, Delta police and fire, the Delta School District and Fraser Health – that was started in March 2021.
In 2021, opioid-related deaths in B.C. climbed to 2,224, which is a 26 per cent increase from 2020 deaths. Nineteen people from Delta and TFN were included within that total.
“Historically, there’s been a bit of a rhetoric within Delta that it’s not a Delta problem, that there aren’t drugs here, but the statistics are very clear – people are dying,” said Katie Alexander, manager of health and social services at TFN. “There is a huge lack of accessible resources for people, and we can’t just pretend it’s not happening here. It’s very clear it is, and we need to do something about it. We need to talk about it.”
End the Stigma’s goals are to reduce substance-use stigma and to connect residents to community supports and resources.
Since its launch, the City and its partners have posted informative ads in bus shelters highlighting how people from all walks of life use substances, updated the City’s website with information on resources within the community and encouraged residents to share their stories through Let’s Talk Delta.
“We’re really hoping that more residents will be able to share their stories, but also, even more importantly, feel that ... they’re not alone,” says Olga Shcherbyna, the City of Delta’s corporate social planner. “There is a power in opening up and telling your story.”
Shcherbyna emphasizes how important it was to the City of Delta to include multiple partners, all with their own knowledge and expertise, in the campaign.
By teaming up, they hope to spread awareness about the harm that stigma, shame and discrimination creates for people who use substances and can create a community where people feel like they belong and are supported within their community, she says.
“[The opioid crisis] cannot be owned by one agency – it’s a public safety issue, it’s a health issue, so, we all own a part of this ... we all own an area of expertise, and we’re much stronger when we work together because of our scopes of knowledge,” added DPD Insp. Kim Campbell.
The DPD wants to remind folks of the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, which protects people who experience or witness an overdose and call 911, as fear of the police and arrest can prevent people from calling for help if they or somebody they know has overdosed.
The Act protects individuals from charges for possession of a controlled substance under section 4(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and breach of conditions regarding simple possession of controlled substances in pre-trial release, probation orders, conditional sentences or parole.
A community forum is being planned for mid-April to educate residents about the opioid crisis and will include a variety of exhibitors to provide information about resources, treatment, counselling and housing-related issues. There will also be naloxone training for those interested.
More details are to come if you are interested in attending the forum.
If you want to share your story as part of the End the Stigma campaign or read the stories of others, visit https://letstalk.delta.ca/endthestigma.
