Medavie Health Services West says there has been a close to 500 per cent increase in their paramedics administering Narcan – also known as Naloxone – to combat drug overdoses, since 2019.

The company says this week paramedics might be celebrating Paramedic Services Week but it doesn’t slow down record high call volumes.

Medavie paramedics responded to 5,000 more emergency calls in 2021 when compared to 2020 which the company says is due in large part to overdose calls, mental health and COVID-19.

In 2019, paramedics administered Narcan 132 times, in 2021 this number increased to 609. This does not include Narcan administrations by Police, Fire, or bystanders.

Working in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Saskatchewan Health Authority paramedics now have Narcan kits stocked in ambulances so they can hand them out to bystanders when responding to overdose calls. The Province has also distributed over 29,000 take home Narcan kits.

Director of Public Affairs for Medavie Health Services West, Troy Davies says, “Unfortunately, we are responding to these calls throughout the entire City, there are no ‘Hotspots’. We will continue to work in partnership with our local and Provincial stakeholders to find solutions to help combat what we are seeing in Saskatoon and surrounding communities”.