Opioid Response: Q4 2019 Update May 8, 2020 2,667 individuals have died from an accidental opioid poisoning in Alberta since January 1, 2016. In Grande Prairie, 84 individuals have died from an accidental opioid poisoning since January 1, 2016. 24 individuals have died in Grande Prairie due to accidental opioid poisoning in 2019. Recently Released Data In May 2020, Alberta Health released the 2019 Q4 “Alberta Opioid Response Surveillance Report”. A summary of key data for Grande Prairie is included below:

• In 2019, Grande Prairie had the highest rate of carfentanil deaths at 9.4 (per 100,000) among the seven largest cities

• In 2019, Grande Prairie had the highest rate of apparent drug poisoning deaths related to fentanyl at 32.2 (per 100,000)

o All of the largest municipalities, except Grande Prairie, had a noticeable decrease in the rate of fentanyl poisoning deaths from 2018 to 2019 The rate of apparent drug poisoning deaths related to fentanyl in Grande

Prairie increased from 31 (per 100,000) in 2018, to 32.2 in 2019 • In 2019, the rate of drug poisoning deaths in Grande Prairie related to an opioid other

than fentanyl remained steady at 3.6 (per 100,000) • From 2016 to 2019, the proportion of all drug poisoning deaths in Alberta that were

unintentional (accidental) increased from 85% to 89% o Among apparent accidental poisoning deaths related to fentanyl, the most

frequent health care utilization within 30 days before the individual’s date of death was having an antidepressant or anxiolytic dispensed, followed by a substance use or mental health related visit

o Among apparent accidental poisoning deaths poisoning related to an opioid other than fentanyl, having an antidepressant or anxiolytic, or an opioid dispensed from a community pharmacy was the most frequent health care utilization in the 30 days prior to death

• In 2019, 80% of accidental fentanyl related deaths listed at least one other substance as contributing to death, the most frequent being methamphetamine (48%) and cocaine (29%)

o The proportion of fentanyl poisoning deaths where methamphetamine was also listed as causing death was 1.7 times higher in 2019 (48%), compared to 2016 (29%)

o In 2019, approximately 24% of all opioid related poisoning deaths (accidental and suicides) also listed alcohol as contributing to the poisoning death

o The proportion of fentanyl poisoning deaths where heroin was also listed as causing death in has decreased from 25% in 2016, to 7% in 2019

• The provincial rate of Emergency Department (ED) visits related to opioids and other drug use increased by 41% from Q1 2016, to Q3 2019

o The rate decreased by 2% from Q2 2019, to Q3 2019 • The rate of hospitalizations related to opioids and other drug use increased by 19% from

Q1 2016, to Q3 2019 o The rate increased by 7% from Q2 2019, to Q3 2019

• In 2019, all major Alberta municipalities expect Grande Prairie had a decrease in the rate of EMS responses to opioid related events compared to 2018

o The rate of EMS responses to opioid related events in Grande Prairie increased from 209 (per 100,000) in 2018, to 233 in 2019

• In 2019 Q4, ACT Medical had 29 new methadone treatment starts and 92 restarts1 (total appointments not individuals). Methadone is used as an opioid substation therapy.

• There were 8,640 visits to the Grande Prairie SCS site between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2019

o The Grande Prairie SCS site saw a 39% increase in visits in Q4 2019 o 3,668 people visited the GP SCS site in Q4 2019

There were an average of 1,223 visits per month to the GP SCS site in Q4 2019

Actions in Response to the Opioid Crisis

Action Community Response Output Overdose Response

• Supervised Consumption Site operated by Northreach since March 11, 2019

• Take-home Naloxone Program operated by Northreach since 2015

• 3668 SCS visits by 159 unique individuals, 238 Naloxone kits distributed through SCS, 48 overdose events, 48 EMS calls prevented, with 0 fatalities

• 89 opioid overdose reversals as a result of the community based Naloxone program

• 17,751 needles collected Community Outreach

• 51 educational workshops on cultural awareness & overdose prevention

• 50 opioid related education sessions offered at Northreach Society and 1 session at ACT Medical

1 Restarts refer to individuals who have previously undertaken treatment, stopped treatment at some point, and have now returned to enter treatment again

Funding • Intermunicipal Opioid Response to develop a data sharing mechanism between Alberta cities

• Coordinate transfer of knowledge and experience between municipalities

• Collaborate on data sharing to develop an intermunicipal opioid resource guide

City Leadership

• Community Opioid Response Task Force established by Mayor Given in 2017 to facilitated dialogue between municipal government, community services, health agencies, law enforcement, and community members

• Opioid Response Strategy • Everyoneisimpacted.com

(includes local video content and facilitation guides focused on stigma)