TEEN'S DEATH TRIGGERS WAVE OF OVERDOSES

Gods River Overwhelmed By Crisis

THE mysterious death of a popular teen in the remote community of Gods
River triggered a wave of prescription drug overdoses by other teenagers
that the native community has been unable to stop.

Chief Moses Okimaw said the teen's death Oct. 1 was followed by 18
prescription overdoses among the reserve's young people -- three of them
involving the same teen.

Okimaw said none of the overdoses resulted in death, but all of the youths
were flown to Thompson or Winnipeg for treatment. "We didn't know what to
do, and we need help," Okimaw said.

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs sent a youth crisis team to the community
this week, and the medical services branch of Health Canada agreed to send
an extra nurse and a therapist.

Dr. Shannon McDonald, director of community wellness and health
surveillance at Health Canada, said it's not certain how many of the 18
overdoses were suicide attempts and how many were drug trips that went bad.
Either way, he said, the outcomes are cause for concern.

McDonald said the community's traditional leaders -- teachers and band
council members -- didn't know what to do. The community's two nurses at
the nursing station were overworked and stressed. The community is located
on the north shore of Gods Lake, at the outlet to Gods River, about 850
kilometres northeast of Winnipeg and 225 kilometres southeast of Thompson.
The community has an on-reserve population of 550 people. Almost half are
under the age of 20.

McDonald said what's happened in Gods River over the last six weeks
followed a typical pattern when a tragedy hits such a small community.

"People are related by blood or marriage or (are) good friends, and
everyone is affected in a negative way," McDonald said. "Their coping
skills are exhausted. The tragedy tends to feed on itself in a small
community, and these people become overwhelmed."

McDonald said an additional nurse was sent to the community to help the
nursing staff. A therapist went there on the weekend and a regularly
scheduled therapist flew in at the beginning of the week.

McDonald said the intervention team from the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
youth secretariat helps community staff learn to identify teens at risk and
develops proper responses that can be deployed.

There haven't been any further incidents since last week, McDonald said,
and it appears the crisis may have passed. McDonald said the community will
identify the resources available to it and what additional resources it may
need. Staff from Health Canada's regional office will go there in a couple
of weeks to formalize a plan on how to deal with a similar situation if it
were to happen again.