An eight-week campaign is underway from Island Health to help erase the stigma of substance abuse. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Spencer Sterritt

reducing stigma

Island Health launches overdose awareness campaign targeted at men who use alone

May 4, 2021 | 5:02 PM

NANAIMO — Island Health hopes to remove the stigma of substance use to save lives in a specific demographic.

An eight-week awareness campaign is being launched targeting men who use alone. Outreach will be done through social media, transit ads and traditional media campaigns.

Medical health officer Dr. Sandra Allison said the campaign will also pair with the Vancouver Island Construction Association.

“Men who are at the prime of their life, working at many different trades and construction, often will experience work injuries and the pain management after the injury at times may lead them to becoming dependent or reliant on pain medication. Unfortunately, at times, they may seek that substance through the illicit pathways.”

Of the 263 lives lost within Island Health to the toxic drug supply in 2020, 225 were men and 126 overdosed in a private residence.

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“Men are using alone and we need to understand the situation and prompt the conversations in our communities to be able to open the door for those men to say ‘I need help.'”

Island Health does constantly promote available overdose prevention services, but Dr. Allison said this campaign will work to assist a demographic which is often difficult to reach.

“Men aren’t very well-known for their help-seeking behaviour. It’s well known in the literature women go to see physicians more. We’re hopeful that through this campaign it will help normalize mens engagement with health services.”

The pace of fatal overdoses in the Nanaimo area is increasing.

Data from the BC Coroners Service unveiled on Thursday, April 29 showed nine people have died from fatal overdoses in Nanaimo through the first three months of the year.

Three fatalities were reported in February and two by the end of January.

If the trend continues, 2021 could be just as fatal as 2020 when the overdose pandemic resurged and 38 people died in Nanaimo.

An overdose advisory for Nanaimo was extended on May 4, along with a similar alert for Victoria. Advisories were also issued for the Cowichan Valley and Port Alberni by Island Health.

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spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @SpencerSterritt