We are pleased to share a significant development in the ongoing effort to support individuals dealing with Opioid Use Disorder across British Columbia. The Province has recently launched the Opioid Treatment Access Line (OTA), a new initiative designed to provide a starting point to get connected to care.
What You Need to Know:
- The Opioid Treatment Access Line is a province-wide telephone-based health service.
- People struggling with their opioid use can call toll-free for immediate assistance from a dedicated team, including doctors and nurses, who can prescribe life-saving opioid agonist medications.
- Island Health is working on a process to support transitions of care for individuals from the provincial OTA Line to local teams and services. We will send updates as this work progresses.
- The service is confidential, the treatment is covered under BC PharmaCare, and it is available seven days a week from 9am until 4pm.
How It Works:
- People from anywhere in B.C. can now call 1-833-804-8111 to immediately speak with a health care team who can prescribe opioid agonist medications and get them connected to further treatment and supports in their community.
Supporting Our Staff, Clients and Patients:
- If you have a client, patient, or their families who may face barriers in accessing Opioid Use Disorder Therapies, please ensure that you are making them aware of the OTA line.
- As a reminder, if you are a clinician and are looking for support in management of substance use disorders, please continue to call the BCCSU 24/7 Addiction Medicine Clinician Support Line. Consultation can include support in screening, assessment, treatment and management of substance use and substance use disorders.
We thank you for your ongoing commitment to providing compassionate and effective care to our community, further information for staff will follow as we develop this internal resource.