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Overdose Prevention & Treatment

Need-to-know overdose information

If someone is experiencing an overdose or is witnessing an overdose, call 9-1-1 immediately
If you’re in crisis call 1-888-353-2273 for immediate assistance (24 hours, 7 days per week)
View these infographics on how to respond to an opioid overdose and toxic drug treatment options
Get information about drug checking services in your area
If you’re concerned about overdose activity in your community, visit our Harm Reduction page
Visit our Toxic Drugs Alerts page for the latest alerts regarding the overdose public health emergency
The drug supply is highly toxic and people who use drugs need to take precautions:
Have a buddy or download the free Lifeguard app from the App Store or Google Play
Don’t mix substances including pharmaceuticals and alcohol
Use less and pace yourself
Carry naloxone and know how to use it
Access overdose prevention services and supervised consumption where available
Recognize the signs of an overdose: slow or no breathing, gurgling or gasping, lips/fingertips turning blue, difficult to awaken, or non-responsive
If someone is experiencing an overdose or is witnessing an overdose, call 9-1-1

Overdose prevention

Overdose Prevention / Supervised Consumption Services

Overdose prevention, supervised consumption sites and episodic Overdose Prevention Services (eOPS) are evidence-based health services that provide a place where people who use drugs can be safely monitored and treated if they overdose.

Trained staff provide supervised consumption of a substance a person brings with them to the site. These sites also provide enhanced harm reduction services including the distribution of naloxone and other harm reduction supplies as well as health care services and referrals for treatment.

In my experience: Supervised Consumption/Overdose Prevention Sites

Overdose prevention services are also provided on an as-needed basis (called “episodic” or “eOPS”). While these are not permanent overdose prevention sites, staff are able to respond to urgent overdose prevention needs in these locations that have seen increases in overdoses and overdose deaths.

Introduction to e-OPS (episodic overdose prevention services)

We operate several Supervised Consumption, Overdose Prevention and eOPS Sites throughout the region. Community agencies also offer overdose prevention sites in Kamloops and Nelson.

Check out our Overdose Prevention/Harm Reduction Fact Sheet that contains information on the benefits of supervised consumption services and responding to overdoses during COVID-19 as well as practical approaches to keeping people safe.

Learn more about overdose prevention

Drug alerts by text

Opt-in for toxic drug alerts by sending the keyword JOIN to ALERTS (253787). Receive toxic drug and drug poisoning alerts and public health alerts. To further help keep communities safe, subscribers can anonymously submit information relating to toxic drugs or drug poisonings via text using the keyword OD.

Learn more

Take Home Naloxone program

Naloxone is an opioid overdose antidote that is widely available throughout IH through the provincial Take Home Naloxone (THN) program. The program provides training and naloxone kits free of charge to people who are at risk of an opioid overdose and those likely to witness an overdose (including friends and family members of those at risk of overdose). For more information, visit HealthLinkBC.

Locate a THN site in your community
View the THN training module for health-care workers in approved THN sites
- This module covers documentation expectations and information that must be provided to patients/clients as part of the THN program. Please follow up with your employer for site specific requirements.

Lifeguard Overdose App

The free and easy to use Lifeguard App is another tool to respond to overdoses in B.C. The app is activated by the user before they take their dose.

After 50 seconds the app will sound an alarm. If the user doesn’t hit a button to stop the alarm, indicating they are fine, the alarm grows louder. After 75 seconds a text-to-voice call will go straight to 9-1-1, alerting emergency medical dispatchers of a potential overdose. Information regarding current drug alerts, harm reduction services, and treatment options is also available on the app.

The Lifeguard App can be downloaded at both the App Store and Google Play.

Drug checking

Drug checking is now offered by a variety of harm reduction service providers across the region. Drug checking is offered by appointment as well as drop-ins at some locations. Call ahead to find out more about services in your community.

Poster: New Normal - What's in your drugs

Learn more and find services in your area

Decriminalization

Effective Jan. 31, 2023 adults in B.C. are no longer charged for the personal possession of small amounts of certain illegal drugs (opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA).

Criminalization and stigma lead many people to hide their substance use from family and friends and to avoid seeking treatment and care, creating situations where the risk of harm and death due to the ongoing toxic drug crisis is increased.

Decriminalization aims to further shift the approach to substance use from a criminal justice response to a public health response. It is not legalization. The production and selling of all illicit substances remains illegal. However people possessing a small amount of drugs (2.5 grams or less) will not have their drugs taken by police, be arrested or face charges and convictions for possession.

If you have questions about decriminalization in Interior Health, contact us via email
For details about B.C.’s decriminalization of people who use drugs and the Health Canada temporary exemption, visit Overdose Awareness
Read the full exemption from Health Canada
Read the letter to municipalities on decriminalization sent on April 14, 2023
Learn what to expect during your hospital visit:
- Decrim and drugs in the hospital brochure

More information is available from the Province of British Columbia.

Infographic - Toxic Drug Crisis: Signs and Prevention

View full-sized infographic

Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT)

We offer a full range of substance use treatment options including withdrawal management on an inpatient or outpatient basis; community or inpatient based recovery; and Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT).

Integrated treatment teams are available in several communities. For information about treatment options, contact your primary care provider, or reach your local mental health and substance use centre by calling 310-MHSU.

In response to the toxic drug emergency, our mental health and substance use programs have implemented enhanced follow-up for individuals who present to emergency departments due to an overdose.

This includes expanded outreach services along with work to increase access to evidence-based OAT services, such as Suboxone and methadone, considered the first line of treatment for opioid addiction. New treatments including Injected OAT (iOAT) and Tablet (TiOAT) have been introduced in some communities.

To find OAT services talk to your doctor or contact your local mental health and substance use services office or check the list of Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) clinics and providers. For more information, please see the OAT handout, OAT Fact Sheet and visit the OAT services map.

Benzodiazepines

Drug checking continues to detect benzodiazepines (benzos) in drug samples in communities across the Interior Region. Benzodiazepines have been found in a variety of substances, most often sold as “down,” heroin, or fentanyl. A wide range of colours and textures have been identified.

Benzodiazepines mixed with opioids carry a high risk of overdose and can cause prolonged sedation, sleepiness, muscle relaxation, slurred speech, loss of consciousness, black outs/memory loss.

Responding to overdoses involving both Opioids and Benzos is more complex. Naloxone does not work on Benzos, but naloxone will work on the opioid overdose symptoms. After giving breaths and naloxone, the person may begin breathing normally, but may not wake up. More doses of naloxone should only be given if the person is not breathing normally (less than 10 breaths a minute). If the person is breathing normally but remains unconscious, place in recovery position and stay with them until emergency services arrive.

For more information, view the following documents:

IH - Mixed Opioid and Benzodiazepine overdose

BCCDC- Responding to an Opioid overdose with Benzodiazepines or Etizolam

BCCDC - Do I keep giving Naloxone?

Links

The following links are provided to help with your learning about overdose prevention, harm reduction and substance use.

Tracking toxic drug deaths & events with recovery

An enhanced surveillance system has been implemented to track both toxic drug deaths and events with recovery. This timely collection of critical data helps inform our response to this emergency.