New data from BC Emergency Health Services (BC EHS) shows the number of overdose calls in the province has remained steady with more than 24,000 in 2019.
However, Spokesperson Sarah Morris says in the Kamloops area, paramedics responded to 613 overdose calls last year, down about 10 per cent from 2018.
“While overdose calls are going down in Kamloops, the 2019 numbers are still double the number of overdoses the community had before the opioid crisis began,
she told NL.
Across Interior Health there were 3,097 calls, which was 13 per cent of total calls to EHS last year. Vancouver Coastal Health with 9,407 calls led the way with 39 per cent of total calls.
Morris says in 2019, Vancouver, Surrey, and Victoria remained the top three communities for overdose calls. Kamloops was seventh, two spots behind Kelowna, which came in fifth.
And through the first ten months of 2019, the BC Coroners Service say 24 people died of an overdose in Kamloops. Spokesperson Andy Watson says they expect to release new data in early February.
Overdose call volumes are in for 2019: #paramedics responded to 24,166 overdose calls this past year (up 2%). Vancouver Coastal Health and Northern Health had an increase, while Fraser Health, Interior Health and Vancouver Island Health regions were down slightly. #opioidcrisis pic.twitter.com/OdPs0LJmQ9
— Emerg Health Services (@BC_EHS) January 9, 2020