When Crisis Becomes Something Else!

When Crisis Becomes Something Else!

Today's Learning Moment 07-17-23 – When Crisis Becomes Something Else!

Written by and for people with Lived Experience - Port Alberni Community Action Team - Families Helping Families. An opinion, When Crisis Becomes Something Else

When does a crisis become something else? I've been thinking about that over the last few months. It's not lost on me that it's been seven long years since the health emergency was declared around poisoned or unregulated drugs in British Columbia. These days, if you're like me, I hate even mentioning statistics. However, one that keeps rolling around in my brain is that we’ve lost over 12,000 British Columbians since 2016 from poisoned drugs. 

I want to just take one quick minute here and define what the word (crisis) means. If you go to your trusty dictionary, you'll find several meanings there. The one that resonates the most for me is that a crisis is a turning point for better or worse in acute disease.  I'm guessing that when our provincial health officer declared the health emergency back in 2016, she was hoping the turning point would be for the better.

In her mind, I'm sure she thought that every resource would be mobilized to resolve the emergency. It would be unfair not to acknowledge how much work has been done.  it's unimaginable to think what the death rate would be without the work that has happened in the last 7 years. Would the numbers have been double what they are today?  Would we have lost 24,000 people? That’s horrible to contemplate! Of course, thinking in those terms is all speculation. What we have to deal with is the reality of what is in front of us right now.

I'm not going to quote present numbers, however, I am going to point out that the numbers month-to-month are not getting better. At least not in a significant way. We are halfway through 2023 and the total deaths for this year will likely be the same as or more than last year. 

As the co-chair of our Community Action Team, I play a key role in my community. In addition, I advocate for drug policy reform in many ways and through many other additional channels, including sitting on provincial committees with the government and health authorities. I can't help feeling a personal failure. I've been asking myself, what am I not doing? What could I do better? What have I missed? 

I suppose I could say I share my failure with many others. Certainly the government and the political players federally and in our province, key senior leaders in ministries, health authorities, policymakers, doctors, and many others. It's tempting no matter what role you're in to blame those above you or who have more power. Every single one of us, even those of us who play the smallest part need to own success or failure in this mess.  You might be saying as you read this, “I am doing my job. I'm only a small cog in the huge wheel. I only carry out what I'm told and I don't have the power to change policies”. All of that might be true. I wouldn't for a minute want to question your good intentions. Sadly good intentions won't and aren’t getting the job done.

After a while, people become complacent with the status quo. It's like the frog in the pot on the stove which is slowly coming to a boil. What would be horrific a decade ago is now accepted as the norm. Not one of us would ever for a minute have imagined ten years ago that we would be in a time when seven people dying a day would be considered "normal" or "expected"! How far must it go before all of us are screaming, it's enough! It's too far! 

It's time to reconsider how you fit into the bigger picture. Whether you are a regular citizen or if you've got a job where you work in the system and you're helping people with substance disorders you need to ask what else you could be doing. For example, have you asked your boss to add the provincial death rate into your performance plan as a key measurement of your success? Have you sat down and made even the smallest suggestion for changes in your department? Do you have a weekly set of goals and plan to drive change outside your job? In other words, changing your department and organization?

Outside of your work environment, have you written a letter to your MLA, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, your MP, or the premier and prime minister? Do you read educational material every week on leading-edge evidence-based information on substances and their use/treatment? If you're in a key leadership role why isn't your bonus attached to the provincial death rate of poisoned drugs?

Yes I know, I'm stepping out on the edge when I made all those suggestions. Who wants to have their wages or bonuses impacted by something they feel they have no control over and possibly deep down inside they don't think there's a solution anytime soon?  And that's exactly the problem. No one is taking ownership, neither at the big picture level nor at the front line. At least it certainly appears that way to me. 

So I guess I'm starting with myself. At best, I'm giving myself a D or at most a C minus for my work over the last few years.  If I was being paid and was eligible for bonuses, my boss shouldn’t be giving them to me. I haven't met expectations, the goals I've set haven't been met, and the strategic plan I've set has not been fulfilled.

Some people might be lulled into the idea that if we only had a safer supply the crisis would end.  Not for a second am I saying that a safer supply wouldn't help, however, it's only a small piece of a huge bigger puzzle.

Where we are likely to make bigger gains is in changing existing procedures throughout the government and health authorities.  Adding more doctors that practice substance disorder medicine.  Making access to services easier. Removing barriers for the marginalized. Having treatment options available measured in hours rather than weeks.  In-community recovery and detox centres funded by our health system. Addressing housing for the marginalized. Looking for solutions to poverty, and of course but certainly not least, reconciliation activities with First Nations, who are way more over-represented in this crisis.

These are only a short list of some of the things that can make a huge difference for people with substance disorders.  I mentioned them here so that you can ask yourself, “Can I impact or play a part in changing any of these?” Most of us can if we set our mind to them. Write a letter, make others aware, learn, or set yourself a plan to work on one or any of these. That's how we're going to fix this crisis. By having many people address all of the contributing factors to the thing we call a poison drug crisis.

No matter what your role, no matter how small, I’m asking you to step up your game. Ask yourself what more can I do this week? Put that question on your wall, your computer or screen saver. The smallest thing can make a difference. We can end this thing, however, it needs all of us working together, implementing creative and innovative solutions.

So when I started this article, I asked that leading question —- when does a crisis become something else? I think we've reached that point some time ago.  How did we let it get this far? The Poisoned Drug Crisis in British Columbia has become something else now. I'd say the word that best describes where we are today is TRAGEDY.

Author: Ron Merk  – Ron is the Co-chair of the Port Alberni Community Action Team and a person with lived experience who has family members with concurrent disorders. He advocates for people and families.

Note: We may use words or phrases in our articles that are not first person, or the latest best-in-practice language. Sometimes we will use older, non-informed jargon. to clarify and inform people who are learning the new non-stigmatizing language. (linking old language usage to new terms) You can tell when you run into these old or non-inclusive words or phrases. They will be in quotation marks - eg old word “addiction” – When we introduce new inclusive language, words or phrases, they will be in Parenthesis - eg (people with substance disorders).

Families Helping Families is an initiative of the Port Alberni Community Action Team. We regularly send out "Learning Moment" articles to help folks understand substance disorders or concurrent disorders. Knowledge is vital in understanding these disorders of our family members. You may copy, distribute or share our articles as long as you retain the attribution. Add yourself to our distribution list by dropping us a note at - albernihelp@gmail.com