Recent spike in overdoses sparks town hall meeting in Penticton

Agencies in Penticton are ramping up efforts to educate the community in light of a recent rash of drug overdoses in the south Okanagan city.

Pathways Addictions Resource Centre has been fielding several phone calls, many from parents worried their children may use a recreational drug laced with fentanyl, according Pathways agency director Daryl Meyers.

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That’s part of the reason why the centre is hosting a town hall Wednesday evening.

Officials said opiod overdoses are on the rise in the south Okanagan city.

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Interior Health Authority (IHA) medical health officer Dr. Silvina Mema said 76 per cent of the people who overdosed and went to Penticton Regional Hospital’s emergency room since mid-
June were between the ages of 19 and 49.

While IHA can’t confirm the presence of fentanyl or other specific drugs in those overdose cases, Mema said 62 per cent of those people self reported that they thought they were using heroin.

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Mema said in November alone IHA had 31 reports of known or suspected opiod overdoses in the south Okanagan city and one so far this month.

But those stats only include people who went to the emergency room.

“We hear from the street, from our clients that there were like 23 or more overdoses because not everybody goes to the ER. People can be revived with naloxone and not ever have to attend the ER,” Meyers said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We hear from the street, from our clients that there were like 23 or more overdoses because not everybody goes to the ER. People can be revived with naloxone and not ever have to attend the ER," Meyers said.

At Wednesday’s town hall, a panel of experts is scheduled to be available to field questions on the topic.

The panel will include members of the Penticton Fire Department, B.C. Ambulance Service, outreach workers, an addictions physician and a pharmacist.

Everyone is invited to attend the meeting, which is set to begin at 7 p.m. at Okanagan College in Penticton.