Prince George has tied with Nanaimo for the highest rate per capita of opioid poisoning hospitalization in the country.
The report, from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), researches opioid-related harms in Canada.
The hospitalization analysis includes 2013 to 2018 data from all provinces and territories, save for Quebec, and Prince George tied for the first spot in the category of ‘highest rates of opioid poisoning hospitalizations’ with Nanaimo.
The Northern Capital rang in at 43 hospitalizations, and at an age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, makes 57.7 above Kelowna with 54.7.
Dr. Andrew Gray, a Health Officer with Northern Health, cited a number of issues that may contribute to that rating.
“The fundamental thing, that I think goes beyond what we can do just in health services; this overdose crisis is a result of a highly toxic drug supply. It’s like a poisoned well, when a well is poisoned you don’t just ask people not to drink the water, you give them clean water.”
“We need to find a way to provide people with an alternative to the highly poisonous black market,” he said.
“I think underlying all of this is a lack of acceptance, lack of understanding, and a lack of empathy or compassion for people that use drugs. People that use drugs aren’t often afforded the same priority and compassion as other parts of society may be.”
“But I do see that changing, it’s changing gradually, not as quickly as I would like, but I definitely see positive signs of progress there. More and more people understanding what addiction is, the pain that underlies it, and that it’s not just about people making irresponsible choices.”
The report said that rates of hospitalizations due to opioid poisoning are highest for patients who live in communities with a population between 50,000 and 99,999, and lowest for those with a population greater than 500,000.
Communities with a population greater than 500,000 have the lowest rates of hospitalizations.