The toxic drug crisis in BC continues to take a heavy toll on our paramedics, including Prince George.
According to year-end data from BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS), local medics responded to 1,833 overdose calls in 2023, up from the 1,466 mark achieved in 2022.
In addition, the northern capital had the sixth-highest call volume among BC cities trailing Vancouver (10,526), Surrey (3,131), Kelowna (2,274), Victoria (2,264), and Nanaimo (2,136).
Like some cities in BC, overdose and drug poisoning calls have seen a steady climb since a public health emergency was called by the provincial government in 2016.
Even more alarming, the yearly breakdown has seen a steady rise in PG over the last seven years.
- 2016 – 362
- 2017 – 461
- 2018 – 594
- 2019 – 626
- 2020 – 999
- 2021 – 1,307
- 2022 – 1,466
- 2023 – 1,833
Furthermore, Northern Health saw a 23% spike in overdose calls in 2023.
Like Prince George, Northern Health has seen an even sharper trajectory in the volume of overdose events.
- 2016 – 913
- 2017- 1,085
- 2018 – 1,232
- 2019 – 1,332
- 2020 – 2,077
- 2021 – 2,414
- 2022 – 2,838
- 2023 – 3,498
In 2023, BCEHS paramedics responded to 42,172 overdose/poisoning patient events for the year, an average of 116 calls a day.
The total number of responses to overdoses/poisonings represented an increase of 25% from the previous year.
The average monthly calls are more than 3,500 per month. BCEHS experienced 11 months with more than 3,000 overdose/poisoning calls in 2023.
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