Opioid addiction recovery resources now available at Edmonton fire halls

Resources related to opioid addiction are now available at fire stations throughout Edmonton, as part of a partnership between the province and Edmonton Fire Rescue Services.

“Just show up and ring the doorbell,” said Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Mike Ellis. “Firefighters in Edmonton will be able to immediately connect individuals with the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program right in the station.”

“Building a recovery-oriented system of care means that we need to give people options for when, where, and how they pursue recovery.”

Resources related both to recovery and for the families of those struggling with addiction will be available. Edmonton fire stations will be provided with pamphlets for the Virtual Opioid Dependency program, the Digital Overdose Response System, Parents Empowering Parents, and more.

Overdose calls to first responders have more than doubled in less than a year, according to EFRS.

 “To put it in perspective, in 2020 we responded to just over 2,400 overdose calls…between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30 of this year, we’ve responded to more than 5,100,” Fire Chief Joe Zatylny said.

“Each life lost to an opioid addiction or drug overdose is a tragedy. In making our stations a safe place to get information for yourself and your loved ones, it is our hope that it will save more lives.”

Funding for the initiative comes from the $1.4 million the province is spending annually to create a low-barrier/harm reduction division of the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program. 

‘THERE IS JUST TOO MUCH STIGMA’

This announcement is the latest in a string of similar initiatives from the province to address the opioid crisis. While advocates say increasing access points to recovery options is always a good thing, they’re concerned that none of the new programs address the core issues contributing to the problem.

“I think very few people would be likely to step in a fire station to connect with treatment, because there is just too much stigma around substance use,” said Petra Schulz, co-founder of Moms Stop the Harm.

“Every step [this government takes] to address the ever-worsening drug poisoning crisis is to increase the availability of different forms of treatment,” Schulz said. “But so many people who use substances are not in a place, are not in a time to access treatment.”

“By putting all eggs in one basket, always looking at treatment, they’re not keeping people well and alive long enough to even access the treatment. With every announcement, including this one, my response is: Dead people don’t recover. Dead people don’t go to treatment.”

Moms Stop the Harm is currently a part of a lawsuit seeking an emergency injunction to stop the introduction of legislation that would require personal healthcare numbers at supervised consumption sites. Schulz maintained that rather than a totally recovery-focused approach, the province needs to work to reduce barriers to supervised consumption, and look at access to a non-toxic drug supply.

Dr. Ginetta Salvalaggio, member of the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Associations Opioid Poisoning Committee, agreed.

“I don’t think they’ve rolled out anything new per se,” she said of Monday’s announcement. “We already knew these resources were available, so my read is that there’s not anything new.”

Dr. Salvalaggio also raised concerns about the UCP government’s overall approach to addressing the opioid crisis.

“It’s quite clear that a recovery-oriented model of addiction care is a priority to this government,” she said. “It is not yet clear to me whether addressing the harms from an ongoing toxic drug supply are a priority.”

The province recently announced plans to launch a bipartisan committee to study the issue of safe consumption sites and safer supply. Dr. Salvaggio is hoping for a transparent committee process, but is worried based on what she has seen so far.

“It seems like they’ve jumped to conclusions before the committee has even started, and that has me very, very concerned as an evidence-informed physician and engaged citizen.”

She’s also worried about the emphasis the province is placing on its Digital Overdose Response System app and other virtual options, saying that while all resources are welcome, there should not be so much emphasis on using drugs alone.

“Virtual’s great, but it’s not the main tool we need right now,” she said. “We really need to have that conversation about decriminalizing people who use drugs, and providing them with a safer supply.”

According to Alberta Health Services, there were 378 drug poisoning deaths in Edmonton in the first eight months of 2021.