North Van Forum on Fentanyl: What you need to know
To find out more about the overdose crisis in North America, please attend a frank discussion about fentanyl with Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, Medical Health Officer with Vancouver Coastal Health.
The November 23rd forum at Centennial Theatre will consist of 30 minutes of presentations from VCH, North Vancouver RCMP, West Vancouver Police Department, the two school districts and Addiction Services, followed by an open question-and-answer period.
Doors open at 6:30pm. The forum runs from 7 to 9 pm. The event will also include information booths from community service providers.
The goal of the forum is to help community members understand the opioid-overdose epidemic and the lethal impact of the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
More than 500 people across B.C. have died as a result of drug overdoses since the beginning of 2016. A majority of these deaths were associated with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid narcotic which is 100 times more toxic than morphine.
The dramatic increase in ODs across British Columbia led to the declaration of a provincial public health emergency. Illicit drug overdose deaths have also increased on the North Shore, however population rates of overdose death remain low compared to other regions in B.C.
Overdose presentations to Lions Gate Hospital have also increased though the vast majority of ODs are seen at other hospitals in the Lower Mainland.
“It’s crucial that families and communities come together to talk and support each other,” says Dr. Lysyshyn. “Reducing stigma is one of the most important things we can to do to improve this crisis.”
https://fentanyl.eventbrite.ca