Kelowna tops Canada for rate of opioid hospitalizations

The fentanyl crisis that’s plagued British Columbia and the entire country has hit Kelowna particularly hard according to a new report.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information released detailed data on hospitalizations due to opioid poisoning. Kelowna topped the list, with the highest rate in the country.

Credit: Canadian Institute for Health Information.

The report found there’s been a 19 per cent increase across Canada in the number of opioid overdose cases where patients were taken to hospital in 2016 to 2017, compared to 2014 to 2015.

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“It’s a dramatic increase,” Michael Gaucher, Canadian Institute for Health Information’s (CIHI) director of Pharmaceuticals and Health Workforce Information Services said.

“The rate of hospitalizations over the past few years is very troubling and points to the deepening of the opioid crisis across Canada.”

British Columbia declared a public health emergency for the province back in April of 2016.WATCH BELOW: Extensive coverage of British Columbia’s public health emergency

Click to play video: 'B.C. declares public health emergency over overdose deaths'

3:14 B.C. declares public health emergency over overdose deaths

But since that emergency was declared, the death toll in the Okaangan has continued to rise.READ MORE: 2017 could see unprecedented number of overdose deaths in KelownaThe report also states the highest hospitalization rates due to overdoses happened in Western and Northern Canada.

“If you just look at the numbers, you can see the impact of the opioid crisis is increasing,” CIHI CEO David O’Toole said. “There are more patients being seen in emergency departments, more patients being hospitalized, and the lengths of stay for hospitalizations are quite long — it all adds to the burden.”WATCH BELOW: An in-depth look at the opioid crisis in the Okanagan