Overdose prevention worker honoured with award on day sobering death numbers released
Overdose Prevention Society founder Sarah Blyth says more needs to be done to fight opioid epidemic
A frontline overdose prevention worker was honoured for her work on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside on the same day the B.C. Coroners Service released numbers on last month's overdose deaths.
St. Paul's Hospital honoured Sarah Blyth, founder of the Overdose Prevention Society, and her organization with a community leadership award on Wednesday.
Blyth said the release of the number of deaths, along with the nature of the ongoing crisis, made it difficult to enjoy the award, but she's hopeful it will bring attention to the growing problem.
"We see about 600 people a day and we watch to see if they overdose," she told On The Coast host Stephen Quinn.
"It's a horrible situation where you have to watch to see if people are going to die or almost going to die in front of you and you have to bring them back to life.
"If there's anything that can be done about that, it should be done."
The B.C. Coroners Service released numbers Wednesday showing 136 people died of an overdose in British Columbia in April — the second-highest amount ever in the province.
Blyth says the overdose prevention work she and her volunteers do is a Band-Aid solution, and until government is willing to provide safe drugs like heroin to those with addictions — drugs untainted by deadly additives like fentanyl — people will continue to die from their addictions.
Snuggles the rat
Blyth didn't accept the award alone, however: she was joined by Overdose Prevention Society volunteer Melissa Patton, who brought Snuggles the rat along for the event.
Snuggles is a pet rat (earlier reported to be a mouse) that was overdosing at the society's overdose prevention tent when workers saved it by using a few drops of naloxone earlier in May.
"So now the clients are coming to the site not only to see us because we take great care of everybody, but also to see her. It just opens people's eyes up a little bit," Patton said.
"Whether it's a rat or a person, we're bringing people back to life because they've been put in a position where their health has been compromised because of a situation they're in."
Blyth said bringing Snuggles to the award event was a way to highlight the "kindness" of her volunteers.
Listen to the full interview:
With files from CBC Radio One's On The Coast