Tens of thousands of opioid deaths in Canada since 2016, the Plain Truth talks with the experts

    Tuesday, 21 May 2024 07:00

    By Tonya Organ

    Diana Douglas is the team treatment lead for the western zone with NL Health Services. She says Naloxone can help slow an opiod overdose but sometimes, depending on the drug taken, more than one dose of naloxone may be required.

    More Canadians are dying from opioid-related deaths since national surveillance began in 2016 by the Public Health Agency of Canada. There was a total of 42,494 apparent opioid toxicity deaths reported between January 2016 and September 2023. This public health crisis is having a tragic impact on people who use substances, their families, and communities across the country. On this week’s edition of the Plain Truth, Host Paula Sheppard and guests talk about this opioid crisis. Susan Madore is the Program Manager at Mental Health and Addictions for the western zone. Madore says there are, however, unregulated types of opioids that are leading to deaths. Diana Douglas is the team treatment lead for the western zone with NL Health Services. She says Naloxone can help but sometimes, depending on the drug taken, more than one dose of naloxone may be required. Naloxone is only a temporary fix and users have to seek medical attention once they take it.

     

     

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