A new poisonous drug alert system has been launched by Fraser Well being, First Nations Well being, Inside Well being and the BC Centre for Illness Management.
The system will preserve Fraser Well being area neighborhood members knowledgeable on poisonous medication and different well being alerts circulating within the space by textual content messages.
“Textual content notifications are actually despatched to subscribers who need well timed details about illicit substances and will increase in poisonous drug poisonings of their area,” mentioned Fraser Well being employees, in a launch.
“Subscribing is straightforward – merely textual content JOIN to 253787.”
Managed by the BC Centre for Illness Management, the brand new Poisonous Drug and Well being Alerts System is “rolling out throughout the province to assist stop poisonous drug poisonings and overdose deaths.”
First Nations Well being Authority and Inside Well being have launched the brand new alert system of their areas already.
“So many lives have been misplaced to the poisonous drug emergency in Fraser Well being and throughout BC,” says Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Psychological Well being and Addictions. “The Poisonous Drug and Well being Alerts System is yet another software that may save lives, together with the remedy beds, prevention, and hurt discount actions we’re increasing with urgency.”
The Poisonous Drug and Well being Alerts system can be an avenue for folks to anonymously submit info similar to date and placement of drug overdose, a bodily description of the drug and packaging, the place the substance was bought, and what it’s believed to be.
Individuals who use medication, neighborhood companions, emergency departments, first responders, drug consumer teams, and the BC Coroners Service all assist to tell the alerts.
“The toxicity and unpredictability of the unregulated provide is driving drug poisoning deaths,” mentioned Dr. Alexis Crabtree, with Fraser Well being’s public well being response workforce.
“In the end, we’d like a regulated drug provide to cut back deaths. It’s additionally essential that we give folks the very best info we will concerning the unregulated provide.”
The text-based alert system is a technique folks can rapidly obtain info and alert others of their communities about significantly harmful substances.”
Learn extra:
Most poisonous drug deaths in British Columbia are actually from smoked medication: coroner’s service
The system was developed by the BC Centre for Illness Management and the Workplace of Digital Well being on the Provincial Well being Companies Authority in partnership with regional well being authorities.
Illicit drug toxicity is the main reason for unnatural loss of life in B.C. and is second solely to cancers when it comes to years of life misplaced.
Since April 2016, 10,326 British Columbians, together with 4,046 in Fraser Well being, have misplaced their lives to the illicit drug provide because the public well being emergency was first declared.
International Information has reached out to the BCCDC for extra info similar to when different regional well being authorities will probably be implementing the system of their areas.
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