Fraser Health sees sudden spike in drug overdose deaths

Officials in the FraserHealth regionare warning the public after a surge in deaths blamed on suspected drug overdoses 17 in one week.

According toDr. Victoria Lee, Fraser Health's chief medical health officer, what's especially striking about the deaths is they're mostly happening at home when the victims are alone.

"We see this, really, as a hidden epidemic," said Lee, who said70 per cent of suspected drug overdose deaths take place at home.

The death toll from drug overdoses, which spans theFraserHealthregion from Burnabyto Hope,is also disproportionately hitting men.

Men working in trades over-represented

"This is a hidden population, meaning they're not actively seeking care. It's a population of men, aged 19 to 59, and they'renot likely to engage in careproactively," said Lee, adding men working in trades are overrepresented in the data.

Health officials are trying to find ways to intervene long before a secret substance abuse issue becomes an emergency or death, especially in this hard-to-reach demographic.

"We're engaging people outside of health care, such as employers, technical schools and sports associations that can work with us to intervene and connect with these individuals," said Lee.

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FraserHealth has also found that in 80 per centof fatal overdoses cases, the victim had made a visit to the emergency department in the year before their death. But Lee notes these people aren't at the hospital because of overdoses or to address their substance issue they're there for various other things, like anxiety orpain management.

Lee said health officials are trying to better screen people visiting the emergency departmentfor possible substance issuesin an effort to make interventions.

Reducing stigma

"I think the most important message is that these are tragic deaths that are affecting our brothers, fathers, uncles. They work in important sectors within our communities,whether they're in trade industries or professionals and their lives matter," she said.

We need to make sure that asking for help is not seen as a weak thing, but it's the right thing to do. It's the manly thing to do ... It takes a lot of courage.- Dr. Victoria Lee

"We need to really engage with our friends, families and acquaintances to talk about drug use, substance use, as well as stressors in their livesand to really have opportunities for us to reach out."

According to Lee, men in the hardest-hit demographic also face a level of vulnerability that makes it hard to reach out for help.

"There's a lot of shame in even talking about any vulnerability that they might have. So, from what we've heard, they would rather treat themselves with illicit substances and self-medicate when they have stressors and pains," she said.

"We need to make sure that asking for help is not seen as a weak thing, but it's the right thing to do. It's the manly thing to do ... It takes a lot of courage."

Lee said that those not personally struggling with substance issues can still help reduce the stigma by appreciating that problematic substance use is a chronic clinical condition, similar to things like heart disease or diabetes.

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