Close X
    Friday, September 20, 2024
    ADVT 
    National

    B.C. government launches phone line to provide same-day access to opioid treatment

    Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 28 Aug, 2024 11:14 AM
    • B.C. government launches phone line to provide same-day access to opioid treatment

    The British Columbia government is expanding access to drug-addiction treatment by launching a confidential and free phone line offering same-day connections to doctors and health-care professionals. 

    The Opioid Treatment Access Line can connect people in need with a team of doctors and nurses who are available seven-days-a-week to prescribe life-saving opioid agonist medications. 

    Mental Health and Addictions Minister Jennifer Whiteside says when people dealing with opioid addiction reach out for help, they need access to treatment immediately, making services such as the new phone line vital in helping those in need recover in a timely manner. 

    Opioid agonist treatment reduces the risk of overdose in drug users by using medications such as suboxone, methadone and slow-release oral morphine — prescribed by a trained doctor or nurse — to prevent withdrawal symptoms. 

    The province estimates there are at least 125,000 people living with opioid-use disorder in the province, with men working in the trades "overrepresented" in the total number of overdose deaths according to a BC Coroner's report from 2022. 

    Vicky Waldron, executive director of the Construction Industry Rehabilitation Plan, says in a government statement that it can be tough for people in the construction industry to ask for help and the new phone line may remove barriers that prevent workers from getting the care they need. 

    The service's cost will be covered under BC PharmaCare, and the phone line will operate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

    Prev Next

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Privy Council to continue anti-racism efforts, clerk says after report release

    Privy Council to continue anti-racism efforts, clerk says after report release
    The head of the federal public service says he is personally committed to "continuous action" to address racism and discrimination in the workplace, following the public release of an internal report that details employees' troubling experiences on the job. 

    Privy Council to continue anti-racism efforts, clerk says after report release

    Fortis BC to launch 10K rebate for homeowners

    Fortis BC to launch 10K rebate for homeowners
    Fortis B-C is launching a 10-thousand-dollar rebate for homeowners who replace older heating systems with an electric heat pump and high-efficiency gas furnace. The utility says the dual system uses the heat pump for cooling and the furnace for heating, and it will help customers cut both costs and greenhouse emissions.

    Fortis BC to launch 10K rebate for homeowners

    B.C. toxic drug deaths down 9% in 2024, but six people continue to die each day

    B.C. toxic drug deaths down 9% in 2024, but six people continue to die each day
    British Columbia's Coroners Service says the number of people who have died this year from toxic drug poisoning is down from 2023, but an average of six people are still dying every day from using illicit drugs. The service says it recorded 181 suspected drug poisoning deaths in May and 185 in June, bringing the total number of fatalities in the first half of this year to 1,158.

    B.C. toxic drug deaths down 9% in 2024, but six people continue to die each day

    Woman rescued off B.C. glacier calls those who braved smoky conditions 'superheroes'

    Woman rescued off B.C. glacier calls those who braved smoky conditions 'superheroes'
    Laurence Desjardins says the wind was loud enough to keep her awake through the night as white ash fell around the tent where she was camping with friends on a glacier in B.C.'s West Kootenay region. They knew they had to leave as quickly as possible.

    Woman rescued off B.C. glacier calls those who braved smoky conditions 'superheroes'

    Animals, like those in Jasper, know how to dodge wildfires, say biologists

    Animals, like those in Jasper, know how to dodge wildfires, say biologists
    Despite the loss of about a third of the Jasper townsite, including homes and buildings, as well as the sorrow over the destruction of a beloved piece of Canadian landscape, experts say animals know how to protect themselves in a wildfire.

    Animals, like those in Jasper, know how to dodge wildfires, say biologists

    Wildfire update planned in B.C. as crews battle about 350 blazes

    Wildfire update planned in B.C. as crews battle about 350 blazes
    British Columbia's minister of emergency management is scheduled to give an update on the wildfire situation today as some areas in the province cool off while others flare. Bowinn Ma and Forests Minister Bruce Ralston will be joined by staff from the province to give an overview of the wildfire trouble spots in B.C. 

    Wildfire update planned in B.C. as crews battle about 350 blazes

    PrevNext