It is overdose from fentanyl.
Evidence of meeting #104 for Health in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was treatment.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #104 for Health in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was treatment.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:25 p.m.
Lead Physician, Safer Opioid Supply Program, London InterCommunity Health Centre
It is overdose from fentanyl.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Okay. Thank you.
What is the relationship between the clinic and Chapman's Pharmacy? Is there one? Do you meet with them regularly?
4:25 p.m.
Lead Physician, Safer Opioid Supply Program, London InterCommunity Health Centre
We have a professional relationship because, due to its proximity to our clinic, a majority of our patients choose to use that pharmacy, so we are in nearly constant communication about how to better serve our patients and improve health outcomes.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Do you believe that physicians who prescribe safe supply are morally or legally responsible for diverted safe supply prescriptions that bear their name?
4:25 p.m.
Lead Physician, Safer Opioid Supply Program, London InterCommunity Health Centre
I believe that every medication that has any kind of value can be diverted, and of course we carry the—
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Are you morally or legally responsible, as a physician, for that medication if it is then taken as you prescribe it, and then sold on the street?
4:25 p.m.
Lead Physician, Safer Opioid Supply Program, London InterCommunity Health Centre
I am morally responsible for my patients to stay alive. I am morally responsible to care for my community. The suggestion that safe supply clinicians don't care about the larger community is, quite frankly, extremely offensive.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
I didn't say that, actually. I just asked you if you felt that physicians who prescribe safe supply are morally or legally responsible.
4:25 p.m.
Lead Physician, Safer Opioid Supply Program, London InterCommunity Health Centre
We have a moral responsibility to our clinic. As for the legal responsibility, you'll have to ask the lawyers.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
I appreciate that. Thank you.
A health care worker purchased thousands of hydromorphone pills prescribed through your clinic, which led him to escalate his addiction and cause serious harm to himself and his family. What would you say to him, his wife and his children?
4:25 p.m.
Lead Physician, Safer Opioid Supply Program, London InterCommunity Health Centre
I'd like to know where this anecdote is coming from first.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
I never asked you where your anecdotes came from. Again, I'm asking the questions. It's my time.
Dr. Sereda, how often have community members, including family members of your patients, tried to contact you to express concerns about safe supply diversion originating from your clinic?
4:25 p.m.
Lead Physician, Safer Opioid Supply Program, London InterCommunity Health Centre
Never. We encourage family members to come into our clinic with their family.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
At no time has a patient's family member come to you.
4:25 p.m.
Lead Physician, Safer Opioid Supply Program, London InterCommunity Health Centre
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Okay.
Do you support the improved traceability measures of so-called safe supply?
4:25 p.m.
Lead Physician, Safer Opioid Supply Program, London InterCommunity Health Centre
I don't. I think that's a slippery slope around marginalized communities.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
4:25 p.m.
Lead Physician, Safer Opioid Supply Program, London InterCommunity Health Centre
We don't put tracers in any other kind of medication. Why would we stigmatize people who use drugs? Why would we assume that people who use drugs have nefarious intention with their medications? We know that over 90%—
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Wouldn't you want to make sure...? Can you and I agree that there are many different tools and there are many different views around this table, but we should be doing everything in our power to make sure that we're keeping people safe?
4:25 p.m.
Lead Physician, Safer Opioid Supply Program, London InterCommunity Health Centre
Yes, I do, by investing in evidence-based programs.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Do you believe that traceability would then cause diversion to maybe come down?
4:25 p.m.
Lead Physician, Safer Opioid Supply Program, London InterCommunity Health Centre
No, I don't. I think it would cause people not to use harm reduction programming, because this is a group of people who have been criminalized for decades—actually, a hundred years. These are people who.... In our program, we have 30% indigenous folks, and we know that this is true of most safe supply programs. I don't think that anybody who has had a violent relationship with the structures of medicine and government is going to want to be tracked in any way, so it will lead to deaths because people will not seek treatment.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
4:25 p.m.
Lead Physician, Safer Opioid Supply Program, London InterCommunity Health Centre
Is diversion illegal? For people to sell their medications, yes, that's illegal, just like they sell methadone.