Health officer urging drug-treatment zones

An Island Health official is urging Nanaimo council to rewrite its zoning rules to include drug treatment sites as one step in battling the opioid crisis.

At it stands, some Nanaimo physicians who prescribe suboxone, a medication used to treat opioid dependence, are violating the zoning bylaw, Dr. Paul Hasselback, Island Health’s medical health officer for Central Vancouver Island, has told council.

“We are not going to be able to move forward on other treatment facilities because of the zoning bylaw.”

Mayor Bill McKay said that the city has site-specific zoning for uses such as drug treatment and liquor stores.

Nanaimo is one of 18 communities in B.C. to receive start-up funds of $100,000 from the province for community action teams that will provide early intervention to prevent overdoses.

A group of agencies and individuals already working together are crafting a proposal for a team, Hasselback said.

This will see a maturing of an existing model, rather than a new body, he said. It is expected to include plans for better co-ordination and communication, and to incorporate those who have experienced opioid use to act as a peer resource.

In March 2017, the provincial government, under the B.C. Liberals, announced $91 million in funding over three years to hire 60 paramedics and 20 emergency dispatchers, and buy six new ambulances. The resources were spread out across the province and Metro Vancouver and Nanaimo were identified as the highest-need areas.

The Nanaimo region is adding 30 full-time paramedics and three more ambulances, in part to better respond to the increased call volume created by the opioid crisis.

“Part of that was certainly tied to the increased demand from overdose calls,” said Cameron Eby, president of Ambulance Paramedics and Emergency Dispatchers of B.C. “It’s probably one of the biggest increases we’ve seen for any area of the province in our history.”

Full-time paramedic staff in Nanaimo will double to 48 from 24, while Ladysmith, Parksville and Qualicum Beach will get two new full-time paramedics each.

The additional resources will allow paramedics to work proactively with at-risk populations rather than respond only to emergencies. This could mean providing replacement naloxone kits, spreading awareness and education, and helping ensure continuity of services, Hasselback said.

Nanaimo is on the front lines of the opioid crisis, just like Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, he said.

“So let’s not belittle in any fashion the change that has occurred and how important it is and how many of our friends and neighbours and families we have lost over this last period of time.”

Hasselback said B.C. is hit harder than other communities because fentanyl is smuggled in through the Pacific coast.

It is often sold on Nanaimo streets before it is cut down or diluted, Hasselback said, which can make it more deadly.