Approval sought to use rest of $3.5M opioid fund
Vancouver city staff will seek council approval next week to spend the remainder of the city’s dedicated $3.5 million contingency budget for the opioid crisis.
Just $601,800 remains from the contingency budget that was approved in January. If approved, the remaining funds will go toward five front-line priorities.
Of the five areas identified, the largest share is $265,070 that will go toward programs and support for those in Aboriginal communities. The five priority areas are:
Innovative anti-stigma programs,
■ $116,600
Building capacity with urban
■
Aboriginal communities, $265,070
Addressing social isolation
■
for drug users, especially men, $68,200
Strategies to address toxic drug
■
supplies, $128,930
Expanding interventions beyond ■ the Downtown Eastside (DTES), $23,000
The city’s funds will also be matched by partner contributions to the tune of more than $1 million.
“The city’s immediate, targeted, front-line investments are a critical support for the many individuals and organizations working tirelessly to save lives in the drug overdose crisis,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson in a statement.
“Vancouver — through the city, first responders, community service workers and people with lived experience — continues to do more than its share to tackle the drug overdose crisis by fighting stigma and connecting people to the health and addictions services they need, when they need them, and before fentanyl tragically takes another life.”
Some 25 submissions were put forward to receive funds from the budget; the 16 that were selected as successful recipients were identified as high-impact efforts on the front lines of the opioid crisis.
PHS Community Services and the Western Aboriginal Harm Reduction Society are two of the community-based groups that would receive funds. PHS is expected to receive $132,500 for their Culture Saves Lives Aboriginal healing and wellness program an low-barrier opioid overdose prevention projects. Another $34,580 would go to the WAHRS for outreach efforts.
For the week of July 10, Vancouver police are reporting a suspected five overdose deaths, down from seven the previous week. Vancouver firefighters recorded 100 overdose calls in the same week, which is a 21 per cent decrease from the week before.
According to aggregated coroner and police data for 2017, there have been more than 200 overdose deaths in Vancouver as of July 2, putting the city on track to hit more than 400 deaths by year’s end. In 2016, Vancouver firefighters responded to 4,709 calls for overdoses, which was more than the combined numbers for 2014 and 2015. As of July 2 this year, Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services has responded to more than 3,600 calls. That pace could see the city logging 7,000 calls by the end of 2017.