B.C. paramedics get $5M boost to fight fentanyl crisis
From cbc.ca
The B.C. government says it will provide $5 million to help paramedics and dispatchers better respond to the deepening fentanyl crisis.
The money will add resources to help paramedics in two crucial geographic areas — Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and a high overdose area in Surrey — where help is most needed, Health Minister Terry Lake told B.C. Almanac host Gloria Macarenko on Friday.
The money will also help to put paramedics on bikes and ATVs to help them get to hard-to-navigate areas, Lake said.
"We recognize our paramedics have been working tremendously hard for the better part of a year," the minister said.
"This has been very hard on them and we want to make sure we are supporting them in saving lives."
Over the last week B.C. had the highest number of overdose-related 911 calls ever recorded, Lake noted, with a particularly high spike in the Lower Mainland.
Lake said B.C. paramedics have "literally saved hundreds of lives over the last year."
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