Billions spent on COVID -19, while we drag our heels on mental health and addiction
Hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent in the fight against COVID-19 and the resulting financial implications that many Canadians have faced. Our various levels of government have shown that they will spare no expense when it comes to preserving human life and of course the economy.
Meanwhile, another crisis has been occurring parallel to the pandemic. I’m not talking about the “climate emergency” and the weak words disguised as action that some politicians like to use relating to such things. No, the crisis I am referring to is that of addictions and mental health.
The pandemic is a far different situation than the ongoing societal problems we have seen relating to addictions. Money had to be spent on immediate COVID-19 relief and toward the development of a vaccine of course.
The reason I bother mentioning COVID-19 and the opioid crisis together is that both pose a significant risk to human life. The ongoing pandemic has also created a crisis within a crisis related to mental health and addictions. So, why is it that our various levels of government continue to drag their heels when it comes to developing a strategy to address the opioid crisis?
Within this pandemic world of social isolation, addictions and mental health related issues have drastically impacted people to a significant degree more. Support from family and friends has become limited. With borders closed the quality of many street drugs have declined. With social distancing restrictions in place, many agencies have struggled to provide the same level of service.
Since 2016, more than 16,300 Canadians have died from opioid-related overdoses. Another 20,500 required hospitalization.
Between January and March of this year alone,1,018 Canadians had died, including 446 in Ontario. For the same period, another 1,067 required hospitalization and more than 4,560 total overdoses had occurred.
In Peterborough, we have seen 34 suspected deaths so far this year from overdoses, noticeably higher than last year’s 29 total deaths. Sadly, we still have over two months left of 2020. As if the numbers are not bad enough, last week a man tragically died of a suspected overdose inside a washroom at the Peterborough police station. What more needs to happen before this crisis is adequately addressed?
By comparison, COVID-19 has killed 9,654 Canadians including two people locally. Unfortunately, the risk to human life between COVID-19 and opioid-related overdoses seems to be treated differently. Billions of dollars toward COVID-19 supports and yet what is there for mental health and addictions?
A couple of million dollars spread out over several years to form committees, host summits to talk about the problem and further provide outreach to those who need it, directing them to services that boast year long wait lists? Our current strategy is simply not working. The problem continues to get worse.
Whenever there is talk of addictions, mental health, poverty and homelessness in our downtown core we hear the plight of businesses who are concerned about the various impacts. If we want to rid the downtown core of those who we stigmatize and label as undesirable, then we must provide adequate services.
Every day more people are added to the statistics. Every day someone loses a brother, sister, son, daughter, mother or father from this illness. These are human beings. We continue to stand idly by with our eyes closed, throwing money at the problem and hoping it just goes away. If we want to solve these issues, we must actually solve them.
The idea of harm reduction is a Band-Aid, a cheap one at that which does not stick. It is not a solution. Having in-patient detox and rehabilitation facilities, mental health supports that are readily available and a justice system that works to help people correct their paths is the key. Harm reduction may be a step in the right direction, but we need to take a giant leap.