‘It’s personal to me’: Dr. Bonnie Henry on why we can’t afford to ignore B.C.’s overdose crisis
The total number of illicit drug deaths in the first eight months of this year has surpassed the total for all of 2019
Global News (Canada)
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
B.C.’s top doctor says the province’s two public health emergencies — the overdose crisis and COVID-19 pandemic — continue to intersect in ways that are proving increasingly deadly. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry called for better access to a safe supply of drugs as the closure of international borders due to COVID-19 has led to an illicit drug supply that is increasingly toxic. On Sept. 16, Henry signed an order that gave more health professionals the ability to prescribe safer pharmaceutical alternatives. Physical-distancing measures due to the pandemic have contributed to a higher frequency of people using drugs alone at home. To date, more than 1,000 people in B.C. have died of an overdose in 2020.
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