Hope Mission’s overdose response team is saving lives as overdose rates continue to rise.
The rapid response team (RRT) responds to emergencies, mostly opioid overdoses, near Hope Mission’s downtown shelters. Over the past two years, the number of opioid overdose responses has increased by 132 per cent while overdose-related fatalities have decreased by 67 per cent.
Beth Klingenberg, director of health services, says the results reflect years of adapting to rising need.
“We’ve had multiple iterations of this program, and each one really proved how beneficial it was.”
In May 2024, Hope Mission formed a multidisciplinary emergency response team (ERT), consisting of a paramedic, registered nurse, and a health care aide. In October, Hope Mission received funding to expand the team to provide continuous coverage day and night. Since then, the expanded program—now known as the rapid response team—has responded to nearly 400 emergencies per month, about two-thirds of them overdoses.
“When you consider how many overdoses happen in this block radius, they are doing heavy lifting in a concentrated area,” says Beth.
The RRT now includes a primary care paramedic, an emergency medical responder, and a health advocate—a shelter-based support worker focused on connecting community members with services. Having front-line health care professionals based out of a shelter has dramatically reduced the number of times EMS and firefighters need to be called.
“In the first month after we launched the 24/7 rapid response team, we reduced the number of ambulance calls in our area by 83 percent.”
Because medical staff are already on site, the team can assess each situation and determine when additional emergency services are required, allowing firefighters to respond only when specifically requested.
Once conscious and stabilized, clients are informed about what happened and connected with next-step supports, including shelter, detox services, opioid replacement therapies, transitional housing, or recovery programs. The RRT program includes two recovery coaches to support people who choose that path.
- Read more: Hope Mission’s health services
In three months since expanding to 24/7 coverage, the team has averaged 270 overdose responses per month, compared to 118 a couple of years ago.
“It can be easy to see these as statistics. But behind each number is a person who’s struggling,” says Beth. “This is something they’re using to cover a multitude of pain and trauma, and this is not something they want for themselves. That understanding has to stay at the centre of how we respond to overdoses.”