More attention to Surrey’s South Asian communities needed in opioid crisis: BCCSU

published on May 30, 2019 by Nick Laba in Surrey Now-Leader

The opioid crisis is claiming increasing numbers of lives from Surrey’s South Asian population, and cultural barriers to accessing treatment are compounding the problem, according to health experts and city officials.

On Monday, representatives from the BC Centre on Substance Use presented the findings from a series of dialogue sessions in March with families who have members suffering from problematic substance use. Surrey is one of six communities across the province selected to host the sessions.

Facilitator Parmvir Matharu, who grew up in Surrey, said his city has always celebrated its vibrant diversity, “but [in] these dialogues, we didn’t have representation from people of colour whatsoever, and that was really disheartening to see and we definitely need to focus on bringing those voices up.”…