The New Westminster Overdose Community Action Team is seeking community input as part of its anti-stigma campaign.
The community action team formed in May 2018 to support initiatives to address the overdose crisis. Comprised of professionals, community members and people who have been directly impacted by the overdose crisis, the team’s projects have included a peer mentorship program and an anti-stigma campaign.
“The rising number of deaths from drug contamination has a profound effect on every one of us,” said Courtney Pankratz, coordinator of the community action team. “We want to hear from the community what messages they would like to see shared as part of our anti-stigma campaign.”
The team is seeking participation in an online survey that runs until midnight on Monday, March 15.
“With the onset of COVID-19, British Columbia is seeing the worst number of overdose deaths in history. Contributing factors include an increasingly toxic drug supply, increasing rates of mental health distress and social isolation, as well as ongoing stigma towards substance use,” Pankratz said. “In New Westminster, we lost 35 lives to drug contamination in New Westminster, an increase of 15 from the previous year.”
According to Pankratz, the vast majority of overdose deaths are occurring at home in private residences.
“Members of the New Westminster Overdose Community Action Team (NWOCAT) are working on a social media campaign that is intended to reach those folks who are using alone at home,” she said. “We want members of our community to know that they are valued, and where they can access resources that will help keep them safe.”
All survey responses will be kept confidential and anonymous. The first half of the survey includes questions about the respondent’s experiences with substance use and the second half aims to collect messages people believe would support a successful anti-stigma campaign.
According to the New Westminster Overdose Community Action Team, an estimated 17,602 Canadians died from opioid-related overdoses between January 2016 and June 2020.
The anti-stigma campaign wants to increase access to resources among people who may be using drugs alone at home and to reduce stigma related to substance use.
“Recent statistics indicate that over 70% of overdose deaths in the Fraser Health region occur in private residences,” said the NWOCAT website. “Contributing factors include the criminalization of drugs and a poisoned drug supply. Another major contributing factor is stigma, which leads people to use alone and not reach out for help, placing them at much higher risk of overdose and overdose death.”
For more information on the New Westminster Overdose Community Action Team, go to www.nwcommunityactionteam.com. To complete the survey by end of day on Monday, March 15, go to bit.ly/NWOCATSurvey.
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