British Columbia Legislature 42nd Parliament, 2nd Session (2021) Statements, 26 Apr 2021

Previous Meeting Next Meeting

⏯

youtube image

►

From YouTube: APRIL 26 2021 Statements Mike Starchuk

Description

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
2nd Session
42nd Parliament

A

Member for sorry, cloverdale.

A

Thank you, mr speaker. Last year, 1724 individuals in british columbia lost their lives due to illicit drug overdose. This represents the highest number of overdose-related deaths recorded in the 12-month period in bc's history.

A

As a former firefighter I've seen firsthand the pain and loss of this crisis, individuals are suffering, families are hurting and the impact on our communities is devastating amongst those that we've lost to this crisis. Racialized communities that have been disproportionately represented in terms of overdose deaths.

A

Racial disparities are deepened by the many systemic barriers faced by marginalized communities in accessing the health care and social support networks, which are so essential in both harm reduction and long-term recovery.

A

It's clear that there are ways that we can all help save lives in overdose emergencies. However, the sheer lack of resources available in culturally relevant formats is a huge barrier.

A

For this reason, I'm here to introducing a grassroots initiative which was developed in my home riding of surrey, cloverdale the overdose intervention app it's a free, multilingual tool that empowers individuals to identify the symptoms of opioid, related overdose, call 9-1-1 directly through the app's built-in feature and provides instructions for emergency first aid and delivery of naloxone.

A

The app is currently available in english, french, filipino punjabi, simplified chinese and plans to add more. This app has over 32 000 downloads in metro, vancouver the overdose intervention app enlists the entire community in responding to this crisis, a vital step in our collective response.

A

This afternoon, mr speaker, my thoughts and deepest condolences are with my the friends and families of those who are no longer with us. Intervention is urgently required. Now, more than ever to address this crisis, we need a diverse set of approaches and tools.

A

Inclusive and culturally. Relevant resources now exist. We must act swiftly and we must act now. Thank you.