Sea to Sky Community Action Team

Community response to the overdose crisis

The purpose of the Community Action Team (CAT) is to help the community develop partnerships to provide focused, action-oriented strategies tailored to local community needs that will support addressing the overdose crisis.
This local team has been meeting since September and has identified a few priority areas on which to focus:

1. Overdose Prevention Strategies
2. Trauma-Informed education and awareness of the general public
3. Treatment and Recovery

Sea to Sky CAT team participants include:

• Squamish Helping Hands Society
• District of Squamish
• Squamish Fire Rescue
• Squamish RCMP
• Vancouver Coastal Health
• Sea to Sky Community Services
• Whistler Community Services
• Sea to Sky Divisions of Family Practice
• School District 48
• Squamish Nation
• Squamish Public Library

The CAT team is working on the following initiatives:

• Community-wide naloxone training
• Distribution of resource cards for first responders
• Community Training on "Managing Difficult Behaviours" including understanding the role of trauma and mental health first aid.
• Working with people with lived experience to obtain their input
• Drug testing kits

With more initiatives to come!