While the B.C Nurses Union is calling for federal action on the opioid crisis, they have so far been pleased with the provincial government’s efforts.
BCNU President Christine Sorensen says the kind of close attention the B.C Government has paid to the mental health and addiction issues is a good start in addressing the overdose crisis.
“Certainly I’m pleased to see that we now have a Minister responsible for mental health and addictions, with a stronger understanding of how those two intersect, they’re not always intersecting, but there is a lot of commonalities. And so I’m pleased to see that this government acknowledged that and created a specific office.”
However, Sorensen says, more still needs to be done.
B.C’s nurses are petitioning the federal government to declare a national public health emergency along with decriminalizing personal possession of all opioids.