Opioid overdoses hitting Alberta First Nations disproportionately hard: report
EDMONTON — A new report says the rising number of opioid overdoses in Alberta is disproportionately affecting Indigenous people, including more deaths and visits to emergency rooms.
Alberta Health says Indigenous people have been dying from accidental opioid overdoses at a rate three times higher than non-Aboriginal people.
The rate of hospital visits is also greater. Calls to emergency medical responders for opioid-related problems are 12 times higher in Calgary and seven times higher in Edmonton.
Associate Health Minister Brandy Payne says the findings show more must be done to help Indigenous people deal with the opioid crisis.