New injectable option offered for chronic opioid addicts in Victoria

published on August 14, 2019 by Roxanne Egan-Elliott in Times Colonist

Island Health is trying to address the overdose crisis in Victoria with a new injectable treatment for chronic opioid addiction.

Injectable Opioid Agonist Treatment, referred to as iOAT, will be offered to residents of Johnson Street Community, a supportive housing facility downtown with capacity for 147 residents. The injectable treatment is available for residents who have not benefited from orally administered treatment options, which include methadone, suboxone, and kadian.

Twenty-three people died from overdoses in Victoria in the first five months of 2019, placing the city third behind Vancouver and Surrey in total number of overdose deaths in the province…