VICTORIA 香蕉视频直播� Among the medical diplomas, certificates and degrees on Dr. Perry Kendall香蕉视频直播檚 office wall is a framed copy of a newspaper with a headline that screams, 香蕉视频直播淐ity Doctors Give Okay to Socialized Medicine.香蕉视频直播�
B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 provincial health officer laughs at the mock front page of a Vancouver newspaper from 1951 that was given to him by his father-in-law, also a doctor.
The page is forward looking, similar to Kendall香蕉视频直播檚 approach during a 45-year career in public health that started in free medical clinics in Toronto and Vancouver, and now sees him at the forefront of British Columbia香蕉视频直播檚 overdose crisis.
The arrival of the powerful opioid fentanyl caused 914 overdose deaths in B.C. last year, almost 80 per cent higher than the 510 deaths recorded by the provincial coroner in 2015.
The British-born Kendall said his family roots have helped him drive health policy changes that were sometimes controversial, but now are common practice.
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Banning smoking in work and public spaces, providing needle exchanges to prevent the spread of HIV and opening safe injection sites for illicit drug users have been championed by Kendall, who was city health officer in Toronto and Victoria before becoming B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 provincial health officer.
He recalls how former Vancouver mayors Philip Owen and Larry Campbell supported supervised injection sites in the Downtown Eastside, despite being at opposite ends of the political spectrum.
香蕉视频直播淭hey saw it as a health problem and a way to stop people dying,香蕉视频直播� he said.
But of all the public health problems Kendall has dealt with 芒鈧憬妒悠抵辈 such as HIV, AIDS, SARS and H1N1 芒鈧憬妒悠抵辈 nothing has been as devastating as the opioid crisis in B.C., he said.
香蕉视频直播淚n terms of morbidity and mortality, it香蕉视频直播檚 way above anything killing people in the time I香蕉视频直播檝e been in public health,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淭he issue is, it香蕉视频直播檚 not something that by and large everybody thinks could happen to them, which is the difference between an infectious disease, something that terrifies us like Ebola or a pandemic.香蕉视频直播�
Kendall said fentanyl is killing people from all walks of life and he香蕉视频直播檚 pushing the province to adopt a European-style drug treatment program that includes providing medicinal heroin to patients. The European programs work, he said, with evidence of reduced overdose deaths and stable lives for drug users.
Vancouver香蕉视频直播檚 Crosstown Clinic is the only facility in North America that offers medicinal heroin.
John Blatherwick worked with Kendall on anti-smoking, needle exchange, HIV infection and safe injection programs when he was Vancouver香蕉视频直播檚 health officer and is impressed by his former colleague香蕉视频直播檚 political savvy in promoting change.
香蕉视频直播淗e positions things well for the politicians to be able to make some of the tough decisions they have to make. That香蕉视频直播檚 a really tough trick.香蕉视频直播�
Kendall was appointed by the New Democrats and has held the position during four consecutive Liberal governments. He has announced his retirement twice, but never followed through.
Blatherwick said he senses Kendall has the ear of Health Minister Terry Lake on the overdose crisis.
香蕉视频直播淚 see Terry Lake making statements that tell me Perry has been talking to him very earnestly and has gotten him to understand how serious the crisis is,香蕉视频直播� said Blatherwick.
Lake, who acknowledges the government is considering recommendations on pharmaceutical heroin, said he and Kendall have a working relationship that resembles a professor and student.
香蕉视频直播淚 learn so much from him,香蕉视频直播� said Lake. 香蕉视频直播淚 don香蕉视频直播檛 think you could find any person working in public health in Canada who has the experience and helped shape the response to so many public health issues.香蕉视频直播�
Prof. Bernie Pauly at the University of Victoria香蕉视频直播檚 centre for addictions research said Kendall香蕉视频直播檚 ideas get wide attention.
香蕉视频直播淲hen I think about who is best to be in that lead role in the province, having someone like Perry, who has been a leader throughout his career in harm reduction and prevention, I think of few who have been such a pioneer in that area,香蕉视频直播� she said.
Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press
