Fewer people are dying in Coquitlam from illicit drug overdoses, the latest coroner’s numbers show.
And that’s good news for Fraser Health and families who have been dealing with what has been a major health crisis for the last three years.
Between 2015 and 2017, drug overdose deaths soared in the province to 1,486 but last year, 2018, there were 1,380 deaths as the year closed out.
Fentanyl was detected in approximately 80% of the deaths.
In Coquitlam, there were 20 illicit drug overdose deaths in 2018, down from 29 in 2017, suggesting a public awareness campaign, the availability of overdose reversal (naloxone) kits, training on how to use them and other measures were working.
As well, a clinic for people looking to get off drugs, using opioid agonist therapies — suboxone and methadone — was opened in Port Moody.
The therapies act on the brain to quell withdrawal symptoms and tame the cravings, enabling people deal with other issues so they can get their lives on track.
According to Fraser Health, over time, opioid agonist therapies enable a person to get further substance use treatment, and they are less inclined to fall back into using illicit substances. Their risk of acquiring HIV or fatally overdosing is also reduced.
Coquitlam was also the city with the fewest number of deaths in the Fraser Health region, according to coroner’s numbers.
Port Moody and Port Coquitlam are not included in the coroner's list because the sample size is too small.
