St. Stephen to add addiction wraparound services following overdose surge
St. Stephen is looking at expanding wraparound addiction services after nine residents in the town’s local shelter suffered overdoses.
Mayor Steve Backman called Sunday night’s incident at the Lighthouse Lodge shelter, operated by local non-profit Neighbourhood Works Inc.,”tragic” and said the town is meeting with the Department of Social Development to determine next steps.
“The issue for us is trying to find what are the tools that we need to try to address this and you know, we have a shelter but we don’t have a lot of wraparound services that are needed to make that function effectively,” he said.
“So we really have to start getting the stakeholders to come to the table and come up with some really good strategic plans for those wraparound services.”
Backman said he was notified about the issue on Monday morning, learning that six out of the nine residents had to be transported to the Charlotte County Hospital for further treatment.
He added the incident also highlighted a gap in the province’s emergency response capacity.
Backman explained that around five ambulances — which according to him, amount to Charlotte County’s total allocation — were required to transport the residents, with one of them having to be transported in the back of an RCMP cruiser due to delays in ambulance response.
“This is the core issue for responding and having surge capacity within our health-care system to deal with these kinds of unexpected issues, but when they happen it leaves the rest of the population vulnerable,” he said.
Backman said the incident involved all three levels of emergency response, including the St. Stephen Fire Department and RCMP.
He added that addressing emergency response constraints is also going to be a focus as they look at potential solutions.
Council recently introduced two new committees, called Community Well Being and Homelessness and Community Impact, to address residents’ overall well-being and the impact of homelessness on individuals and the community.
Backman said council will also seek input from the committees as part of their next steps.
However, he clarified they intend to address addiction and homeless as separate issues, and not under the “banner of homelessness.”
“It’s not simple homelessness, it’s a very complex case, homelessness may be part of it,” he said.
“But homelessness may be secondary to the mental health and the addiction which had caused them to be either evicted or chose to leave their residence.”
Substance or substances involved in overdoses not yet identified
Backman said the cause of the overdoses remains under investigation.
In a statement, Neighbourhood Works Inc. said the substance and substances involved have not been confirmed, adding that the group will abstain from speculating while appropriate authorities gather information.
Acadia Broadcasting asked the organization about the total amount of overdoses that happened on Sunday night, but the group did not provide a response.
However, it said over the past week there has been an increase in overdose incidents, several of which required urgent assistance.
“We recognize how frightening and traumatic these experiences can be, for those directly affected, for the people who care about them and for the community members who witness them,” the statement reads.
“Several individuals were transported to hospital and subsequently release. We are deeply relived that those affected have returned to the shelter, and our priority remains their health, safety, well-being; as well as those suffering from substance abuse disorder outside of the shelter’s clientele.”
Neighbourhood Works said this incident is a “sobering reminder” of the dangers posed by the “toxic and unpredictable drug supply” in communities across Canada, including smaller rural communities like St. Stephen.
“Behind every overdose is a person who deserves dignity, care, and the opportunity to recover,” read the statement. “Timely intervention, access to medical care, and co-ordinated support can mean the difference between life and death.”
Like the shelter, Backman noted that the drug crisis also heavily impacts surrounding residents and the families of those who are dealing with substance abuse.
He said creating support services for them will be important as they move forward.
The shelter is encouraging residents to check in on anyone who may be at risk and remind them of the dangers posed by the unpredictable drug supply. It also urges people not to use drugs alone and to call 911 immediately if they witness a suspected overdose.
“The events of the past week are a reminder that this issue is real, urgent, and affecting our community.”
RCMP investigating potential criminal activities linked to overdoses
In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, St. Stephen RCMP said they are investigating potential criminal activities linked to the sudden uptick in overdoses.
As part of the investigation, police are looking for information about individuals who may be supplying illegal drugs in the area.
“The use of illegal drugs carries significant risks, as individuals can never be certain what a substance contains,” said Cpl. Hans Ouellette of the New Brunswick RCMP.
“Highly dangerous and potentially lethal substances may be in circulation, and even a small amount can have serious consequences. We encourage anyone with information about the supply of illegal drugs in their community to contact police.”
Anyone with information about suspected illegal drug activity is encouraged to contact their local detachment or the New Brunswick RCMP at 1-888-506-7267.
