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By Abby Zieverink

Northreach Society

Opioid-related EMS responses more than tripled in Grande Prairie last week says Northreach Society

Oct 26, 2021 | 5:59 PM

The Northreach Society says opioid-related EMS responses in Grande Prairie last week saw over triple the number of calls compared to normal.

Over the week of October 18-24, there were ten opioid-related EMS responses in the Swan City, which Community Based Health and STBBI Manager with Northreach Lindsay Loset says is a significant increase compared to a “normal” week.

“On average, there are three or less a week, with similar numbers requiring naloxone or transportation to the hospital. However, last week, there were ten EMS responses in the week.”

Of the 10 opioid-related EMS responses, Loset says eight people required naloxone and six people were transported to the hospital.

Although the reason for the increase in opioid-related EMS responses is not known, Loset believes a strong contributing factor is the unregulated street drug supply.

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“So, we don’t necessarily know what they’re taking, where it is being processed, the potency (of the opioid), or where it’s coming from,” she says.

“All of those unknown factors can lead to a toxic drug supply, which we’ve been experiencing since the opioid crisis was identified roughly four years ago, in 2017.”

Loset suggests promoting harm reduction strategies is key to preventing overdoses, with a couple being to avoid mixing substances and avoiding using opioids alone.

“We encourage people to use at our supervised consumption site, which is parked behind Wapiti House. There is medical staff there to respond if they overdose, or use with somebody else present, or with a virtual supervised consumption site which is the National Overdose Response Service (NORS),” explains Loset.

She also stresses the importance of knowing and recognizing the signs and symptoms of an overdose and carrying a naloxone kit while using opioids.

With naloxone, Loset says it is heat and light-sensitive, meaning if the kit sees too much exposure to light, or hot/cold temperatures, the potency will decrease.

“If you have a kit that you know has been sitting outside or it has been sitting in your car, you can still use it, it just might be less potent,” she says.

“If you do know your kit has been frozen or expired, you can get a replacement kit.”

If a naloxone kit is expired or exposed to extreme light or temperatures, Loset encourages people to return it to Northreach as they are used for training purposes.

Naloxone kits can be picked up at the Northreach Society, various pharmacies, and community sites in Grande Prairie. A full list can be found here.