Escalating BC's Response to the Overdose Emergency

One of the first actions the new government took was to create a Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions — the first of its kind in North America — to lead the provincial government’s response to the overdose emergency, and to transform BC’s network of mental health and addiction services and supports.7 The next step was to fund the most urgent parts of that work. [...] The Ministry is actively involved in the Tripartite Partnership to Improve Mental Health and Wellness8, which takes a community-driven, Nation-based approach to the planning, design, and delivery of mental health and wellness services and supports for Indigenous individuals, families, and communities. [...] This approach aligns with the provincial mandate to fully adopt and implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and guidance to operate in accordance with the Draft Principles that Guide the Province of British Columbia’s Relationship with Indigenous Peoples. [...] The Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General accepted all of these recommendations and committed to implementing a series of priority actions related to each recommendation.10 We provided a progress update in Fall 2018, and future updates will be available in April 2019 and September 2019. [...] In December 2017, the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions further escalated BC’s response by launching the Overdose Emergency Response Centre (OERC) to spearhead urgent actions to save lives and help connect people living with substance use disorders to treatment and recovery services.11 The OERC consists of a core team of experts and full-time staff to coordinate provincial, health authority