Lisa Lapointe, the chief coroner of British Columbia, is urging the province to establish data collection standards for drug treatment and recovery services. She made her case in an interview, coinciding with the government's announcement of adding more publicly funded substance-use treatment beds. The province recently reported a record number of deaths from illicit drugs, prompting Lapointe to emphasize the need for regulations to monitor patient outcomes.
Lisa Lapointe, British Columbia ’s long-time chief coroner , is making a final push for the province to put in place data collection standards for drug treatment and recovery services , ahead of her retirement next month. Ms. Lapointe made her case in a wide-ranging interview on Thursday with The Globe and Mail. Her comments coincided with an announcement from the provincial government that it would add 180 new publicly funded substance-use treatment and recovery beds throughout B.C.
One day earlier, the BC Coroners Service had announced that 2,511 people died from illicit drugs last year, a grim new record eight years after the province declared toxic drug deaths a public-health emergency. The chief coroner, who was first appointed to her role in 2011 and will step down in February after 13 years, has long called for the province to develop regulations that would set standards for public and private treatment facilities to report patient outcomes to the provincial government. There are currently no such standards in plac
British Columbia Chief Coroner Data Collection Standards Drug Treatment Recovery Services Substance-Use Treatment Publicly Funded Illicit Drugs Patient Outcomes Regulations
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