Stigmatization compounds drug devastation

DIANE STRANDBERG dstrandberg@tricitynews.com

This article is part of an in-depth, provincewide journalistic effort by Glacier Media to examine the scope, costs and toll of the opioid and toxic drug crisis in British Columbia –a public health emergency that has taken at least 11,807 lives since 2016

Every time a Coquitlam resident hears a fire or ambulance siren, it could signal that a neighbour, loved one, friend or colleague is dying of a toxic drug overdose.

At 505 response calls last year, Coquitlam Fire Rescue is on the front lines of B.C.’s overdose crisis.

At least once a day, local firefighters are called to help someone in distress

“You know these people are in crisis and are struggling and they (toxic drug overdose calls) definitely have an impact on staff, ” Fire Chief Jim Ogloff told the Tri-City News.

While Coquitlam may not be in the headlines for its overdose crisis, its residents have suffered greatly with 177 deaths due to poisoned drugs since 2016, according to the BC Coroners Service, including three deaths in the month of April.

Meanwhile, Coquitlam Fire Rescue overdose calls have grown each year:

• 2020 - 189

• 2021 - 419

• 2022 - 505

• 2023 - 194 (to April 31)

Most victims are men, often working in the trades, and typically between the ages of 30 and 59, but there are teenagers who have died as well.

These are the young people who didn’t get a chance to grow up

For Belinda Ruckman, losing her 24-year-old son, Reno, in 2019 to poisoned drugs was a devastating blow.

“I didn’t know how to carry on,” Ruckman said.

Ruckman, and her surviving son, Riley, are trying to understand this complex health issue while also seeking to raise awareness about the toxic drug overdose crisis. While the Ruckmans are critical of those who use labels such as “junkie” and who fail to understand the link between substance use and mental health, they also say some progress is being made toward ending the stigma around substance use.

Every summer they organize a shoreline cleanup in Port Coquitlam called The Reno Kindness Challenge, while also raising funds for Moms Stop the Harm.

“For our family, hard as it is to talk about. You have to try to talk about it to try to save somebody’s life,” Ruckman said.

Riley, who said he faces his own mental health challenges, said there isn’t enough being done to provide people with advice, support and recovery if they face mental health concerns or substance use issues.

“When the person tries to get help there’s so many speed bumps to jump over, and by the time something happens, they’re back out on the street,” Riley said

They want more resources and a clearer pathway for people needing help.

This is a goal that Fraser Health is also trying to achieve, according to medical health officer Dr. Ingrid Tyler.

Fraser Health has a website offering people help if they have a substance use problem, including resources for youth.

“Since 2016, there have been significant investments locally to expand harm reduction services and increase access to services,” Tyler said

Among the local harm reduction services provided, she said, are mobile and fixed sites across the Tri-Cites.

They offer:

• naloxone training and drug checking