Paramedics treated a man who appeared to be lying unconscious in the grass at the southwest corner of Lakelse Ave. and Apsley St. around 11:30 a.m. Aug. 28.
It was a routine overdose call, according to a spokeperson for British Columbia Emergency Health Services (BCEHS). The patient was treated but refused to be taken to hospital.
Overdose Awareness Day was Aug. 31, and Terrace is experiencing a dramatic rise in overdose calls to BCEHS. Terrace typically averages around 10 overdose calls per month, but those have skyrocketed in 2020. In July, the community saw double its usual overdose calls. As of Aug. 28, there were 25 calls for the month.
Yearly overdose call trends have been on the rise over the past five years in Terrace. In 2016, there were 38, in 2019 there were 98, and in 2020 so far there have been 122.
The provincial govenment officially declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency under the Public Health Act in 2016.
BCEHS responded to more overdose calls province-wide in July than any other month since the emergency was declared.
jake.wray@terracestandard.com
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