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A brand new B.C. text-alert system to warn folks about poisonous drug provide has been expanded to Fraser Well being.

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The Poisonous Drug and Well being Alerts System makes use of textual content messages to flag subscribers about illicit medication and will increase in poisonous drug poisonings of their area.

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“So many lives have been misplaced to the poisonous drug emergency in Fraser Well being and throughout B.C.,” stated Psychological Well being and Addictions Minister Sheila Malcolmson in a information launch issued by Fraser Well being on Thursday. “The Poisonous Drug and Well being Alerts System is another software that may save lives, together with the therapy beds, prevention, and hurt discount actions we’re increasing with urgency.”

The text-alert program was developed by the B.C. Centre for Illness Management and the Provincial Well being Providers Authority in partnership with well being authorities.

Inside Well being began utilizing the system in June, the primary in B.C. to take action.

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Folks can subscribe to the alerts by texting the key phrase JOIN to 253787.

This system additionally permits folks to anonymously submit data such because the date and site of a drug overdose, an outline of the drug and packaging, and the place the substance was bought by texting the key phrase OD.

The submitted data might be evaluated by hurt discount groups together with different sources, corresponding to neighborhood companions, emergency departments, first responders, drug person teams, and the B.C. Coroners Service, to ship out alerts to subscribers.

Dr. Alexis Crabtree, public well being doctor with Fraser Well being, stated the unpredictability of the unregulated drug provide is driving drug toxicity deaths, which has surpassed 10,000 since B.C. declared a public well being emergency in 2016.

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“In the end, we want a regulated drug provide to scale back deaths,” stated Crabtree in an announcement. “It’s additionally essential that, proper now, we give folks the very best data we are able to in regards to the unregulated provide. The text-based alert system is a method folks can shortly obtain data and alert others of their communities about significantly harmful substances.”

The alert system is among the province’s hurt discount responses to the persevering with overdose and drug toxicity disaster. Different well being authorities are expanded to undertake the system.

chchan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/cherylchan

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