Naturopaths ask for right to prescribe safer drug supply in B.C.: 'Please let us help'
CBC
Naturopaths in B.C. are lobbying for the right to prescribe safer supply, saying they want to help address a toxic drug crisis that's killing nearly seven people in the province every day.
B.C.'s Naturopathic Doctors (BCND), a voluntary professional association, wrote to Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Jennifer Whiteside on Nov. 16, asking for the power to prescribe alternatives to street drugs, along with opioid agonist therapies like methadone and suboxone. Opioid agonist therapy is a form of treatment that involves taking medication that reduce withdrawals from opioid use.
Prince George naturopath Deborah Phair told Carolina DeRyk, host of CBC's Daybreak North, that the group has yet to receive a response.
"This is a crisis that really needs immediate attention," Phair said. "Naturopathic doctors — we're here, we're licensed, we're already working in these communities in B.C, we're wanting to help, so all I'm saying is, 'Minister, please let us help.'"
She argues that allowing naturopaths to prescribe these drugs will not only provide more access for patients, but it could also help ease the pressure on doctors amid a shortage of primary care providers.
An estimated 225,000 people in B.C. are at risk of death or injury from drug use, but just 5,000 people have access to prescribed safer supply, according to a November report from the B.C. Coroners Service.
Since April 2016, when B.C. declared a public health emergency because of a spike in deaths related to illicit drugs, more than 13,300 people have died.
Naturopaths in B.C. have had the right to prescribe certain medications since 2009, as long as they complete a certification course. They can also complete courses that allow them to give vaccinations.
Right now, according to Phair, about 630 of B.C.'s 800 licensed naturopaths have prescribing powers.
Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses were granted the ability to prescribe medications for opioid use disorder earlier this year under a new designation that allows them to diagnose and treat substance use disorder. The designation requires training from the B.C. Centre of Substance Use.
November's death review panel called for an expansion of the safer supply program that would allow people to access alternatives to toxic street drugs without a prescription.
Whiteside immediately rejected that proposal.
A written statement from the ministry says the BCND letter is currently being reviewed.
The ministry says a review of B.C.'s safer supply program is currently being conducted by experts from the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is also reviewing aspects of the program, originally put in place to respond to a spike in deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As their role in health care continues to grow, nurse practitioners across Canada are looking to Alberta, where nurse practitioners recently formed their own union — but on P.E.I., the nurses' union that represents them says it's doing its job.
As the fallout over fallen buildings in Gore Park continues, Hamilton officials will be turning their attention to other properties.
Fire crews responded to a transport truck fire on the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit.
When the government touts that its auto insurance reforms might curb premiums by $400 come 2027, the ministers and premier don't readily mention what's to come in the three years leading up to that.
Who poses the greater threat to the free speech of Conservative MPs — the Speaker of the House of Commons or the leader of the Conservative Party?
As city council prepares to vote on a temporary shelter village for people experiencing homelessness in Thunder Bay, Ont., opposition is growing among the area's business community.
A Toronto centre for Black art is hosting an exhibition this weekend that exclusively features work by artists from across the African diaspora.
Click on the video player above on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. ET to watch the 2024 Vanier Cup.
This story is part of CBC Health's Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.
Some Canadian seniors say they're feeling abandoned by the Liberal government's latest inflation relief measure after learning they don't qualify for it.
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.