Three persons overdosed and died at a park downtown last Friday renewing calls for the need to have emergency services specifically for such incidences. This comes at a time when the overdose issue is taking people’s lives at an alarming rate.
Boyle Street is awaiting the coroner’s confirmation, but suspects that the three overdosed, Jordan Reiniger, its executive director said.
Boyle street’s team based in Kinistinaw Park tried its best to reverse the effects of the overdose using Naloxone, but that did not help save their lives.
An increase in incidences of overdose has impacted the homeless population in the city leading the Boyle team to ask for help from the police, and Alberta Health service.
One of the three had sought help from Boyle Street in the past.
Reiniger noted that he would like to see more people offer outreach services to meet the current needs of people with a drug problem and to work towards getting a permanent solution.
According to Boyle Street’s statistics, about 23 persons succumbed to a drug overdose in January, last year. The number went up to 43 last January.
He said he could not recall an incident where three-person overdose at around the same time, in the same area.
A spokesperson for the Health Ministry shared his commiseration to the affected families noting that discussion on how to solve this issue is underway.
