Sask. ambulance service sees 500% increase in Narcan use to reverse overdoses
Medavie Health Services West says it’s seen a 500 per cent increase in the administration of Narcan (naloxone), a drug used to counter the effects of opioids in drug overdoses, since 2019.
It was administered 132 times in 2019 and 609 times in 2021.
“This isn't something that was a huge surprise to us when we were running the numbers so we fully expected it,” said director of public affairs Troy Davies.
Those numbers don’t include administrations by police, fire, or bystanders.
“It's a sign of the times, unfortunately not only in Saskatoon but major cities across Canada,” said Davies.
“It's a trend that we're seeing, and I don't think it's a coincidence that it aligns with COVID starting two years ago, and our numbers rocketing from that from mental illness to depression to what we're seeing.”
Davies says there are also more potent drugs on the streets in and around Saskatoon.
“We have seen patients take up to eight doses of Narcan just to get them back, and that's something. Three years ago we never would have seen that," he said.
The dramatic increase in Narcan administrations is also no surprise to Kayla Demong, executive director of Prairie Harm Reduction.
“We are absolutely seeing more fentanyl coming through, and more people knowingly using fentanyl,” she said.
Demong says 577 people accessed the safe injection site at Prairie Harm Reduction in 2021.
“Regina is definitely showing more of an increase of fentanyl, more rapidly than we are, but it's something that's been steadily increasing here as well,” she said.
According to the Saskatchewan Coroners Service, toxicity deaths in the province have increased every year since 2016.
- 2016: 83
- 2017: 89
- 2018: 129
- 2019: 136
- 2020: 267
- 2021: 278
- 2022: 18
Medavie says the Ministry of Health and the Saskatchewan Health Authority have partnered with paramedics to distribute more than 29,000 take-home Narcan kits while stocking ambulances with kits to hand out to bystanders when responding to overdose calls.
“We're now carrying Narcan kits in our ambulances, and that's a first for any service in Canada to hand out kits to residents when we arrive on scene," Davies said.
Davies says if there was one “hotspot” where overdoses were happening they would be able to devote resources to that specific area, but the calls are coming from neighbourhoods across the city.
“We also serve the cities of Martensville and Warman, rural communities, so it's not just one localized spot,” he said.
“That's the scary thing about it, is it doesn't matter where you live in the community, what you do for a living, we're seeing it from 18-year-olds to 65-year-olds.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Bayer recalls hydraSense baby product over 'potential contamination'
Bayer announced Thursday it is recalling two lots of its hydraSense Baby Nasal Care Easydose due to a potential contamination.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.