Overdose prevention site opening on grounds of Maple Ridge hospital

A mobile overdose prevention site (OPS) is coming to Maple Ridge.

Illicit drug users will now be able to consume their own substances in a safe and what Fraser Health describes as “welcoming environment,” in the company of support workers and peer support workers who will care for their security and well-being.

Starting on Monday, Dec. 18, a customized van with an outdoor covered area will open its doors on the grounds of Ridge Meadows Hospital to those who require their services.

The outdoor area is to accommodate the growing number of people who inhale or smoke substances, noted Fraser Health in their announcement, citing the BC Coroners Service, who said 65 per cent of people who have died from toxic drug poisoning in 2023 had smoked substances, compared with 36 per cent in 2017.

“Overdose prevention sites are an essential part of keeping people alive and connecting them with care and supports,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

“This new service for people in Ridge Meadows will prevent overdose deaths and provide a direct link to the health care system for people with substance use and addictions challenges,” said the minister.

Maple Ridge resident Debbie Picco, who lost her son, Tommy, to a drug toxicity overdose at age of 36, said the news of an overdose prevention site is fantastic.

Picco noted that the Maple Ridge Outreach Society and other agencies have been promoting an initiative like this drug users for a long time.

“For their safety and self worth an OPS can be very welcome, especially as the leading cause of death in 30-59 year olds is toxic drugs,” said Picco, whose own son had been struggling with pain and addiction for a very long time before he died.

Although Picco is buoyed by the fact that there have been few deaths at overdose prevention sites in the province – only two, one in 2022 and the other in 2023 – as staff are trained to address toxic drug reactions and administer Naloxone and perform CPR if needed, or call 911 if the situation is dire, she noted the location of the site is far from the downtown core, where, she believes it would be used more.

Picco wonders if people who actually use substances had been consulted during the planning of the OPS, as she believes traveling to the OPS site at Ridge Meadows Hospital will be problematic for those who want to access the services.

“It will be convenient for people who have appointments at the hospital and can use the OPS before returning to their home site,” said Picco. However, she added, someone must have to ensure those leaving the site are safe to travel home.

And, noted Picco, a majority of people who overdose do so in a “home”. In fact, according to the latest BC Coroners Service report on unregulated drug deaths, between 2020 and 2023, 66 per cent of those deaths within the Fraser Health Authority happened in a private residence.

“I doubt if this group will come out to use an OPS,” she said.

In addition to watching over drug users, staff at the site will also be able to help clients navigate detox, withdrawal management and treatment options – if they wish.

Staff will also be able to connect clients to Fraser Health’s Overdose Outreach Teams and Integrated Homelessness Action Response Teams.

Medical health officer for Maple Ridge, Dr. Cheryl Young, noted 32 people died of toxic drug poisonings in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows during the first eight months of this year.

“Which speaks to the need for an overdose prevention site in this community,” said the doctor.

“We know that overdose prevention sites are effective in preventing overdose deaths, and we need to ensure people who use substances in Maple Ridge have access to these vital services. Having these spaces open is especially important given the recent provincial amendment to decriminalization that greatly limits where people can use their substances,” she added.

Harm reduction supplies including Take Home Naloxone Kits and training on how to use them will also be available in addition to fentanyl test strips, small pieces of paper that can detect the presence of fentanyl in different kinds of drugs.

This new site will mean there are now 12 overdose prevention and supervised consumption sites in the region supported by Fraser Health. Dozens more, said the health authority, are located in shelters and supportive housing, where people can use substances in monitored settings.

READ ALSO: 2,000 British Columbians have died from toxic drugs so far in 2023

The new site at Ridge Meadows Hospital will be open from 11:30-6:30 p.m. daily at 11666 Laity Street.

Catharine Hume, co-executive director with RainCity Housing said they are looking forward to working with partners in Maple Ridge over the coming months.

“RainCity’s Peer Services Department operates a number of overdose response sites throughout the lower mainland,” explained Hume, noting the department has worked hard over the past seven or more years to offer overdose prevention services in welcoming, safe and responsive ways.

“The Drug Poisoning public health crisis has not abated and the innovation by peers within RainCity and beyond have been and continue to be a critical component of the response to this crisis, a crisis which demands much more from all of us,” she added.

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Fraser health noted that people need “equitable and timely access to harm reduction and substance use support services in our region.”

“Through a broad continuum of hospital and community-based mental health and substance use services, Fraser Health supports people who need immediate care as well as connections to appropriate services and supports in their community.”

Portable Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) machines are available at various locations in the region to also help people check their substances – testing that can detect the chemical makeup of many substances, including opioids, stimulants and other psychoactive drugs.

For more information and resources related to overdose prevention and response go to: fraserhealth.ca/overdose.

Fraser Health serves more than 1.9 million people in 20 communities from Burnaby to Fraser Canyon on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Nlaka’pamux Nations, and is home to six Métis Chartered Communities.