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qathet Community Action Team rallies for overdose awareness Presentation and flag raising at city hall part of campaign to reduce stigma
International Overdose Awareness Day (August 31) will be marked across qathet with civic events, handson training and a call for compassion. The qathet Community Action Team (qCAT), with support from Lift Community Services, invites residents to show up, learn and engage with a crisis that continues to take local lives. On August 21, the team will present a delegation at the city council meeting and request a municipal proclamation. “Folks are encouraged to attend and wear purple in solidarity,” says Jessica Colasanto, qCAT’s facilitator. A council proclamation matters, notes Colasanto, because it signals that the community stands with grieving families and backs evidencebased action. “It is a chance for mayor and council to affirm that lives lost to overdose matter and that stigma must be replaced with compassion.” Community members can build practical skills on August 26, when Lift’s com-
munity health team offers drop-in naloxone training at Powell River Public Library from noon to 3 pm. Anyone can learn how to administer naloxone, pick up a free kit and connect with resources. The week culminates with a 10 am flag raising at city hall on August 29. “These events are open to the public,” says Colasanto. “We will have purple shirts and pins for anyone who wishes to show support.” Colasanto adds that an additional, private commemoration is also planned for people in the substance use community to remember friends and loved ones. Because qathet is small, detailed coroner statistics are not publicly released. qCAT relies on information from the Vancouver Coastal Health medical health officer and shares only what is available from the BC Coroners Service at a broader level. “The only factor our data shows definitively is isolation,” says Colasanto. “Substance use crosses every age group and background,
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WARREN BEHAN
qathet Community Action Team facilitator Jessica Colasanto.
and risk rises when people use alone or without a designated monitor.” Locally, 2021 was the worst
year for overdose deaths. The region trended downward after that and is moving in the right direction. Stigma
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remains a major barrier. It overdose prevention site. She shows up in language, as- also calls for access to a safer sumptions about criminal- supply with oversight comity, discrimination in health parable to legal substances. care and fear of being seen “An unregulated, crimiaccessing services like nalized drug supply drives drug checking or overdose preventable deaths and prevention. health harms; regulated opqCAT is a coalition of aboutGettions andto stronger health the Peak Go app now 40 local partners working toiPhone resources are part of the sothetoxic drug supply address the overdose crisis atavailable lution.inThe App Store or iTunes a local level. Substance users is highly unpredictable and are centred in discussions overdoses can and do hapand decisions are made by pen anywhere, anytime, to consensus. Some members anyone. Naloxone is a simple also contribute through sub- way to reverse an overdose REAL ESTATE CORPORATION committees; others partici- PERSONAL and keep someone alive.” pate to stay informed. Carrying naloxone is a simThis year, members ple way to help. Free kits are WARREN searched for potential lo- available at the BEHAN Community PERSONAL ESTATE the PeakREAL toCentre, Get Go theCORPORATION Peak to Go cations for the overdose GetResource 101-1871 iPhone app now iPhone app now prevention site and shelter,available Joyce in Avenue, and atinqathet theavailable the launched a public newslet-AppGeneral Hospital. Store or iTunes App Store or iTunes WA ter at qcat.ca and supported “People use substances, YouthCAT presentations on and they have done so since PERSONAL ESTATE CORPORATION harm reduction and naloxtheREAL beginning of time,” says PERS one at the library. Next steps Colasanto. “Learn how to emphasize education and use naloxone and keep a kit reducing stigma, along with in your bag, workplace and closing service gaps. home. It could save a life.” Colasanto highlights the To stay informed, sign up need for more transitional for qCAT’s newsletter at qcat. or second-stage housing, ca, follow qCAT on Facebook, services tailored to harder- and go to TowardTheHeart. to-reach populations and com/alerts or text JOIN to a permanent home for the PERSONAL 253787 forREAL drug ESTATE alerts. CORPORATION
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