Opioid related deaths down province-wide, but continue to climb in South Zone

In Lethbridge specifically, during the first three months of 2019, there were 9 accidental fentanyl related deaths. In all of 2018 there were 25 in Lethbridge, and in 2017 there were 15 in total.

Q1 Accidental fentanyl deaths Lethbridge

Alberta Health Ministry Spokesperson Steve Buick says officials are trying to get a handle on why the numbers are continuing to increase in the South Zone, and specifically, Lethbridge.

“This data is changing a lot. It’s different between zones and it changes based on a number of factors based on a number of factors, so it’s impossible to say for certain what is driving a change in a given quarter, or from one zone to another.”

He says the reality is that there is a flood of illicit fentanyl available, most of which comes from China and it’s beyond the government’s control.

That said, there have been some changes that have taken place over the last few years.

“We know that doctors are reducing their prescribing of opioids, and that’s helping to reduce the overall overuse of opioids.”

He also points out that the number of overdose deaths from non-fentanyl opioids is down sharply overall.

However, that does include carfentanil, which is still a problem in the South Health Zone and specifically in Lethbridge:

“In the first quarter of 2019, 37 per cent of carfentanil-related poisoning l deaths occurred in both the Calgary and South Zone (7 in each Zone). As of March 31, 2018, the South Zone had the highest rate of carfentanil deaths per 100,000 population, as did the Municipality of Lethbridge (8.2 per 100,00 compared to the provincial rate of 3.3 per 100,000 population).”

Q1 Accidental carfentanil deaths

In Lethbridge, opioid related deaths are generally concentrated in the downtown area of the city, with some sections on both the north and south sides.

Opioid deaths Lethbridge Map

The report also indicates that in 2018, EMS in Lethbridge was called out 336 times to respond to an opioid-related event (more than Red Deer, Medicine Hat, Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray), while in the first three months of 2019, EMS was called out 59 times.

“Grande Prairie and Lethbridge had the highest rates in the first quarter of 2019.”

The rates of opioid-related Emergency Department visits were also nearly 50 per cent higher in the South Health Zone than across the rest of the province in 2018.

So, where does the Supervised Consumption Site fit into the findings of the report?

“We certainly acknowledge that there’s value in supervised consumption sites, but there’s also a lot of value in treatment and recovery services to help addicts get off drugs altogether,” says Buick. “That’s where we want to put our main priority… of course while they’re on drugs, they need help, and we don’t deny that.

“It’s perfectly fair to point out that deaths in Lethbridge are up and the SCS is busier and seeing more visits. Does that mean the SCS is not working? No, it doesn’t. There could be other factors that explain the change.”

Until the end of June 30, 2019 according to ARCHES’ website, there have been more than 248,000 visits to the SCS, and just shy of 2,350 reversed overdoses.

According to an addendum to the opioid report, the “AHS Virtual Opioid Dependency Program” previously only available in Central Alberta is being expanded to Lethbridge’s SCS as well.

Additional facts in the addendum indicate that as of of March 2019, more than 145,000 naloxone kits have been handed out province-wide, while 11,000 Albertans are on medication assisted treatment for opioid use.

Buick says the numbers in the Q1 report are expected to change. In fact, he said while Alberta Health figures indicate overall so far this year on average 1.5 people are dying each day from an opioid-related event- down from 2 per day in 2018, it’s not certain it will remain that way.

“The most recent quarterly figures are almost always revised upward in later reports, when the toxicology reports are in for all the cases for that given period…that number is likely to be higher when the figures are final some months from now.”

He adds that toxicology reports for non-fentanyl deaths take longer to complete, and those results are always one-quarter behind. Also, there can be a seasonal cycle for some numbers, so judging from one quarter to the next is not always ideal.

Buick says Health Minister Tyler Shandro is expected to announce a review process in the next couple of weeks to set priorities for supervised consumption services, treatment, and recovery services, which could mean additional resources for Lethbridge in the future.

by Lara Fominoff

Opioid related deaths down province-wide, but continue to climb in South Zone

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