That period saw a 77 per cent increase in opioid-related deaths province-wide over the same period in 2019. “There’s often a bit of a dialogue around the fact that people who use drugs and are at risk of overdose are very disconnected from the health-care system,” Gomes said. Of those who died with methadone in their system, more than half had fentanyl in their system as well. Both experts say the findings point to the need for building a system that supports different access points for help. Kolla also emphasized the need to increase access points to different types of care in the community, whether from peer support workers, social workers or health providers.

Source: thestar January 18, 2022 15:32 UTC