Opioid Overdose Intervention Project update
Surrey: In an ongoing effort to stem the opioid overdose public health crisis, the City of Surrey has been a principal partner in the multi-faceted Opioid Project. The preliminary data released by Statistics Canada show that Surrey has proportionally the same characteristics for opioid overdoes as the rest of the province. The results generated by this work are fundamental to identifying the risk factors to help inform and implement precision policy and programs to combat this crisis.
“As the first city to deploy real time overdose cluster reporting and one of the first fire departments in the province to be equipped with lifesaving Naloxone, the City of Surrey has been proactive in battling the opioid crisis,” said Mayor Doug Mccallum. “The preliminary information that has been released on the Opioid Project is another example of the leading role Surrey is taking to develop meaningful strategies that will ultimately save more lives.”
“The preliminary data is integral to the City of Surrey’s ongoing battle of this public health crisis,” said Chief Len Garis, Surrey Fire Service. “We will continue to be an active participant in this project as we continue to work together to gather more data in an effort to get an upper hand on the opioid overdose epidemic.” Launched in the autumn of 2017, the project brings together all levels of government with the goal of sharing data that will result in a better understanding of the factors that lead to opioid use and how better to develop effective interventions.
The Opioid Project is a partnership between the City of Surrey, Statistics Canada, Surrey Fire Services, the Surrey RCMP, Fraser Health Authority, British Columbia Coroners Service, British Columbia Stats, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, British Columbia Ministry of Health and Public Safety Canada .The data generated by the project identifies the primary risk factors and create a better understanding of the characteristics of those individuals most at risk of opioid use or overdose – including those using and dying in their residence.