Naloxone kits have been well distributed among 琉璃神社鈥檚 drug using population, but it鈥檚 still important to call to 911 in the case of an overdose, say BC paramedics.

鈥淥ften we see naloxone kits are being used but they鈥檙e just one small part of the care that these people need,鈥� said Don Hunt, a BC Ambulance Service unit chief in 琉璃神社.

Naloxone can be relatively short-acting compared to the drug they鈥檝e taken and once it wears off, he said, there鈥檚 a good chance the risk of an overdose remains.

鈥淭his is especially the case with the stronger drugs on the street,鈥� Hunt said.

These drugs, like fentanyl and carfentanil, he said, have changed everything but the service paramedics are there to provide.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a thought that people are afraid to call us because they鈥檙e scared they鈥檙e going to get in trouble,鈥� said Hunt.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not the police, we鈥檙e there to help people. If someone thinks they are having an overdose, please call.鈥�

The number of overdoses rose dramatically in November 2016 and have yet to really subside.

For 琉璃神社 there were 94 overdose calls in November, 51 in December, 87 in January and 82 in February.

These numbers account for everything from someone who has taken too much medication to someone who has taken an illicit drug. The latter is likely cause for the spike in calls.

Since the volume of overdoses have increased, so too has the demand on resources.

In 琉璃神社, BC Ambulance Services put an extra unit on the street to deal with the crisis.

The volume of calls has also challenged paramedics personally, though Hunt said they鈥檙e handling it well despite the fact its so different from case to case.

One thing he鈥檚 noticed is that the overdoses aren鈥檛 affecting one specific population.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to calls for people from all walks of life in all parts of town,鈥� he said.

鈥淭here鈥檚 an increase in the number of young people overdosing and there鈥檚 also an increase among older people 鈥� it鈥檚 across the board.鈥�