New bike and foot patrols launched to deal with Vancouver's fentanyl crisis

Two new street patrols have been launched to deal with the fentanyl overdose crisis on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, VancouverCoastalHealth has confirmed.

The health agency announced on Friday one of the programs is an overdose prevention program developed by VANDU.

Teams of two people will patrol the neighbourhood withnaloxonekits and also provide tips on harm reduction, collect discarded injection equipment, and respond to overdoses if required.

While the VANDU team will operate largely on foot, the second group will work the Downtown Eastside on bicycles.

Spikes on Bikes will be managed by PHS Community Services Society, and focuson needle recovery calls in the Downtown Eastside and Oppenheimer Park area. They will also carry nalaxone kits.

The bike programlaunched earlier this week and operates12 hours per day, seven days per week.

Peers with 'lived experiences'

Dr. MarkLysyshyn, medical health officer with Vancouver Coastal Health, saysbothprograms are staffed by"peerswith lived experience" that will be able to provide a bridge to other health resources, includingInsiteand the Downtown Community Health Centre.

"Our team understands what it's like to call an alley home and the struggle of abject poverty, exclusion and the very real threat of overdose death," saidCocoCulbertson, a spokesperson withPHS CommunityServices.

Fentanyl, which is exponentially more potent than heroin, is behind a huge spike in overdose deaths across the country. Thelatest figuresfrom the B.C. Coroners Service show 622 fatalities between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31 this year, in the province alone.