Overdose prevention services, prescribed safe supply not properly implemented
B.C.’s auditor general says two key provincial programs intended to help the toxic-drug crisis that has resulted in at least 14,000 deaths since 2016 were not “effectively implemented.”
The audit found the ministries’ guidance didn’t include minimum service standards that ensured consistent quality and access of services, that it did not adequately respond to barriers such as local government resistance and that a new program evaluation was needed as the health emergency evolved. The audit also pointed to what Pickup described as the province’s failure to overcome significant municipal resistance to overdose prevention sites. Municipalities have used bylaws, zoning and permitting to prevent the establishment of such sites.
“Many thousands of people in B.C. are grieving the losses of family and friends from the toxic-drug supply,” Pickup said. “The crisis is also an immense challenge for those working to provide care and support for people who use substances. My team and I have a deep sense of empathy for everyone who has been touched by this continuing tragedy.”
Critisism by the auditor general include the unavailability of drugs in a form that can be smoked, as well as the perceived low potency of hydromorphone, and the lack of access in rural communities.Other aspects the report highlights includes a lack of reliable and publicly available data about the program’s effectiveness and geographic reach.
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