As Saskatoon continues dealing with a massive overdose spike, those dealing with them on the front lines continue to feel mounting pressure.
Since January, Medavie Health Services West says they’ve seen at least a 100 per cent increase in overdose calls on a week-to-week basis.
“In a 24-hour period we’d see maybe five,” says Operations Manager Mike Schindel. “And now we’re up to anywhere from, you know, 20 to 25, and in some cases even more in a 24-hour period.”
According to Medavie, the volume of overdose calls has increased so substantially, they’ve started impacting their ability to respond to other emergencies.
“It does definitely make it difficult for our paramedics to be able to respond to other calls that might be coming,” says Schindel.
“And they’re holding and we know we need to get to them, but it’s very difficult to always free up an ambulance due to all these calls that are coming in.”
Saskatoon-based Prairie Harm Reduction says they’ve gone through so many naloxone kits they’ve had to put out a call for donations so they can order more.
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“This is something that we’ve never seen,” says Executive Director Kayla DeMong. “Police has never seen this, fire has never seen this so we’re just kind of learning as we go. And the stock of naloxone we’ve been carrying on us for years is no longer enough.”
Since the call for donations on March 6, DeMong notes Prairie Harm has seen an outpouring of support from the community, and they have more than met their goal of $5,000. The money will go towards purchasing nasal spray forms of Narcan to distribute to the community and use when appropriate.
There are no known supply issues with naloxone kits at this time, but paramedics note it’s getting harder for ambulatory services to order enough to meet the demand.
“We’re getting them in and they’re going out just as quickly, so we’re trying to stay on top of ordering those but it’s getting difficult,” says Schindel. “It’s good that the public has them to out on the streets, but yeah, the usage that we’re seeing is very heavy.”
The Saskatchewan Health Authority urges residents to be prepared as authorities respond to the situation.
“No illicit drug is safe. If you or someone you know uses drugs, please take precautions,” says CEO Andrew Will. “Free take-home naloxone kits are available at more than 450 locations across the province.”
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