When people think of the opioid crisis, they often think of the Downtown Eastside.
But the crisis is touching people in all walks of life — fathers, co-workers and many other people you might know personally.
Coverage of the opioid crisis on Globalnews.ca:
B.C.’s government is out to change people’s perceptions of the opioid crisis.
And it’s doing that through an ad campaign that urges people to see the epidemic in a new light.
The campaign includes videos that show people working at desks, with labels such as “mother, teammate, fishing buddy” appearing on screen.
“The latest numbers from the Coroners Service show that 80 per cent of people who are dying right now in B.C. are using alone at home,” provincial health officer Bonnie Henry told Global News.
“And many of them are young men.”
But the provincial government isn’t alone in trying to broaden the perspective of a crisis.
The Vancouver Canucks have also begun an awareness campaign in an effort to fight the stigma connected to substance abuse.
READ MORE: Canucks help fight stigma of addiction in new public awareness campaign
Stephanie McCune helped to launch that campaign. Her brother died after ingesting fentanyl last November.
“The stigma contributes to shame,” she told Global News.
“And when people are feeling shame, when they’re feeling isolated, it’s very difficult to be able to reach out for help.”
The extent of B.C.’s opioid epidemic is hardly more apparent anywhere than at Vancouver’s St. Paul’s Hospital, where 30 per cent of patients at the Rapid Access Addictions Clinic (RAAC) come from outside the city.
“We see a lot of variety of folks that come here,” said Nancy Chow, clinical nurse leader at the RAAC.
“From teenagers, unfortunately, we see as young as that, to as old as 71-years-old.”
The B.C. government’s ad campaign will feature on TV and at sports venues around the province.