Losing three loved ones in the past 30 days to fentanyl overdoses has left a Vernon politician devastated.
Coun. Teresa Durning was wiping tears from her face at the last city council meeting.
Hearing about the housing crisis, homelessness, toxic drug supply deaths and addiction, Durning was reminded of her loss.
There have been 33 overdose deaths in Vernon this year (as of the end of September), compared to a total 47 in 2022, 43 in 2021 and 30 in 2020.
So far there have been 323 paramedic-attended opioid overdose events in town, compared to 328 for all of 2022.
For those on the front lines dealing with it all, it is a lot to take.
“It feels very heavy out there right now, there is a lot happening,” said Annette Sharkey, executive director of the Social Planning Council of the North Okanagan.
Along with a worker shortage felt by almost every sector, the health care and first responder industries are losing staff due to the emotional impacts of the job.
“There’s discussion around the stress and the burnout. There’s a lot of grief and trauma doing this work right now because you are losing people you are working with.”
Add to that the health care crisis, where in Vernon the hospital is having to force expectant mothers to deliver in Kelowna or Salmon Arm, and the last walk-in clinic is in jeopardy of closing.
“All of those patients will be offloaded to the already stretched emergency room at the hospital,” said Durning of the Sterling Centre clinic closure.
READ MORE: Offer on the table to keep Vernon’s walk-in clinic open
Megan Thorne, Interior Health’s clinical operations director for substance use, says Vernon Jubilee Hospital is already stretched with the toxic drug crisis putting a heavy burden on the system, and staff.
“In acute care we are often in extreme over capacity especially with folks with mental health and substance use,” said Thorne. “It can be hard to work in some of these roles.”
A lack of staff is impacting many sectors, but particularly health care.
“I have a niece who is a psych nurse within Interior Health,” said Durning. “She said she’s never worked a shift with full staffing.”
Thorne confirms, “we have a higher vacancy rate than we’d like to have.”
READ MORE: Vernon homeless number increases
A new program, similar to Car 40, aims to address some of the situations at the source.
Three nurses have been hired and begin training Nov. 15 for the Integrated Crisis Response Team.
Operating seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., it will see a mental health and substance use nurse paired with an RCMP officer.
The team will provide a specialized response to those experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.
Interior Health also operates Transitional-Aged Youth (TAYO) Mental Health and Substance Use Care.
It is for foster youth aged 18.5 to 26 who are transitioning into adulthood and have substance use concerns.
There is also the seven-bed Willowview Stabilization Unit which is typically a two-week step up/step down unit for adults with mental health and/or substance use needs.
Interior Health also recently met with shelters across the region to better support the homeless population.
Currently outreach teams meet with people in the community who are repeat hospital visitors to keep them safe in the community.
The North Okanagan also recently received funding to enhance the intensive case management team, which will allow the downtown team to enhance its outreach to the shelters.
READ MORE: ‘I thought it was going to get better, not worse’: Vernon Homeless Memorial
