VANCOUVER — British Columbia has announced the appointment of a chief scientific adviser to address a"growing population" of people who survived an overdose but were left with life-altering brain injuries.
Figures from the BC Centre for Disease Control show that 79 per cent of people who overdosed between January 2015 and December 2021 lived, but Eby said some suffer from life-altering brain injuries that affect their ability to function. He said Vigo will work alongside the provincial health officer, health authorities, Indigenous partners and people with lived experience.
Eby told the news conference of one patient who went to the emergency room 180 times. Four other patients went to emergency more than 140 times, while 612 patients went 10 or more times, he said.