Cowichan Valley takes a community-based approach with opioid crisis open house

The B.C. government may have yet to resume its legislative business but that’s not stopping communities from fighting the opioid crisis.

The epidemic has spurred an open house that’s being organized by Our Cowichan Community Health Network for Thursday, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Duncan Fire Hall.

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The discussion will involve major stakeholders such BC Ambulance, the RCMP and Sonia Furstenau, the Cowichan Valley’s Green Party MLA.

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Vancouver Island Heath Authority is also expected to attend in order to outline future steps to fight the opioid crisis.

“We keep trying to address the immediate concerns but at the same time we have to look at the long-term solutions,” Furstenau said.

LISTEN:  Green MLA Sonia Furstenau

She said community-driven solutions will be the best for the area.

“The right approach is for communities to start to take very active roles in seeking solutions because every community is going to have a different set of circumstances.”

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Furstenau said she would like to see addiction and treatment based solutions.

The latest numbers from the Coroners Service of British Columbia show that 640 people have died of illicit overdoses in the province between January and May this year.