By Troy Gillard (Twitter: @Troy_Gillard)

Fentanyl deaths continue to rise in Red Deer

Mar 20, 2019 | 4:40 PM

Red Deer continues to see the highest rate of fentanyl-related deaths in the province, and the numbers are rising.

In 2018, 47 people in Red Deer died from fentanyl, more than double from 23 in 2017, according to the Alberta Opioid Response Surveillance Report for the fourth quarter of 2018 that was released on Tuesday.

Red Deer’s rate of 43.8 deaths per 100,000 population is highest in Alberta. Grande Prairie was second highest at 31.0 per 100,000 people (23 deaths) and Lethbridge third at 25.1 (25 deaths). Calgary’s rate was 21.9 (292 deaths) and Edmonton’s was 18.3 (181 deaths).

Stacey Carmichael with Turning Point in Red Deer says the numbers, unfortunately, are not a surprise.

“I’m hopeful that we will see a downward trend in the year to come,” she said. “Those numbers are profound. We have to better and I think we are on the right track with things like the opioid dependency program and the supervised consumption service, and the warming shelter. Hopefully, all those things are going to make a difference.”

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If nothing else, Carmichael says these measures that are being taken come at the right time, but notes it’ll be a while before they lead to any significant drop in numbers.

“The services we provide at Turning Point are those street level services addressing a very vulnerable group of people who use drugs. But they don’t address the needs of the people who are still in their homes.

“It’s going to take a significant amount of awareness, reduction in stigma, just changing how we think as a community. And, of course, providing evidence-based services before I think we’ll see a real reduction.”

A temporary overdose prevention site located at the Safe Harbour Society opened October 1. It is now open 24-7 and has seen more than 10,000 visits since opening. Staff there have responded to 233 overdoses.

The temporary site will eventually be replaced by a permanent supervised consumption facility approved by city council in January. Carmichael expects it to be open sometime in 2019.

The latest data shows 746 people died from an apparent accidental opioid poisoning in Alberta in 2018, including 159 in the most recent quarter.

On average, two individuals die every day in Alberta as a result of an apparent accidental opioid poisoning.