鈥淚t keeps calling my name.鈥�
Those were among Brandon Jansen鈥檚 last words to his mother Michelle at a Powell River rehab centre on March 6, 2016, just hours prior to his death from a fentanyl overdose.
Brandon鈥檚 life ended two days before his 21st birthday.
鈥淗e said to me at breakfast that morning, 鈥業鈥檓 struggling. I can鈥檛 hold it,鈥欌�� recalled Michelle about their visit on just his third day at the Sunshine Coast Health Centre, the 12th facility he had attended to try and rid himself of the addiction. 鈥淪ince my son passed, the number of fatalities has escalated and I have parents and loved ones reaching out to me every week, sometimes a couple times a week, saying they鈥檝e lost yet another one.
| Brandon Jansen during a happier moment in his life prior to his death from fentanyl.Submitted photo |
As Michelle puts it, 鈥渦nfortunately or fortunately,鈥� she has become an expert on what does and, sadly, what doesn鈥檛 work when it comes to addiction treatment 鈥� at least specifically in relation to fentanyl which also claimed the life of her younger son Nick鈥檚 16-year-old girlfriend just months afterwards.
So that is why the Lower Mainland woman has decided to open her own treatment facility in Penticton called the Brandon Jansen Memorial Recovery Centre.
It鈥檚 what she hopes will be the first of many in Canada and the United States.
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She chose Penticton for its 鈥渟erene and tranquil鈥� setting and small-town atmosphere in which patients will have the 鈥減eacefulness鈥� to work on their recovery.
鈥淚 have learned what it takes to keep these people alive,鈥� said Michelle. 鈥淚 applaud the new government for allotting over $300 million and creating a new ministry to deal with mental health and addiction. That is a big step but still that sense of urgency is not there, people are still dying everyday.
鈥淐ome on, the numbers tell the story. These people just die and they are leaving all their families and friends and extended families in this wake of tragedy and grief. It鈥檚 crazy, it鈥檚 crazy. I can鈥檛 sit back any more so we鈥檒l have beds and we鈥檙e going to do it properly, we鈥檒l do it different.
鈥淭his is my commitment to Brandon. I don鈥檛 have the option of not doing anything, something has to happen and if it takes me starting to open up treatment centres I鈥檒l do it.鈥�
She added there were 21 recommendations from the coroners inquest into Brandon鈥檚 death however she said none have been implemented, something which she plans to talk to Judy Darcy, Mental Health and Addictions minister about when they meet soon. In November, a report released by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority stated the centre was in compliance with provincial regulations which is another of Michelle鈥檚 concerns.
| An aerial view of the new Brandon Jansen Memorial Treatment Centre on Juniper Drive in Penticton.Submitted photo |
The first recommendation from the inquest to the health minister鈥檚 office was:
I. Develop specific substance use treatment facility regulations under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, including with respect to educational qualifications for persons working in such facilities.
Security at the smaller, 12-bed centre on Juniper Drive is high on Michelle鈥檚 list of priorities.
According to Michelle, who still has her son鈥檚 cell phone (something she will not allow patients to have at the new facility), Brandon was waiting outside on the centre grounds for the drug dealer that night. One of the cell phone texts from another patient early in the morning of March 7 read: 鈥淗e (dealer) should be any second,鈥� which Michelle believes indicated the transaction was arranged by that person.
Brandon did eventually go back to his room to wait, texting the other patient to have the dealer come to his room.
鈥淭hey brought the drugs right to his door, he used them and he was found later after he died, his last text to the other patient said: 鈥榡ust met him,鈥欌�� said Michelle who added she had a bad feeling the next morning when Brandon hadn鈥檛 called or texted her. 鈥淚t felt like a lifetime (talking to a centre staff member) but it probably was just two minutes for him to spit out that Brandon had passed away and it just didn鈥檛 compute.
鈥淚 told the staff the day before he was struggling and I wanted eyes and ears on him because he was at such a high-risk of relapse and they assured me he wouldn鈥檛 be left alone but they put him in a bedroom alone.鈥�
Another of the recommendations was to the CEO of Sunshine Coast Health Centre to: Review security procedures and training with all staff.
She said part of the problem was Brandon could not continue taking the drug suboxone, which had controlled his cravings for the last two months, because the onsite doctor had not been given the exemption to prescribe the drug, although he did have the required training.
| A photo of one of the rooms inside the new addictions treatment centre on Juniper Drive.Submitted photo |
鈥淭he intent of starting the first Brandon Jansen Memorial Centre is that we鈥檙e going to do it properly,鈥� said Michelle. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to implement a new standard of care, we鈥檙e going to check off all the boxes that are required in order to keep people safe while they鈥檙e in recovery.
鈥淭hat means no locked doors so if someone鈥檚 overdosing on the floor dying, you don鈥檛 have to break down the door.鈥�
Addictions doctors working one-on-one with patients, and more importantly, follow up services afterwards will also be in place.
鈥淪o we don鈥檛 just shake their hands and say: 鈥榞ood luck to you鈥� and off they go,鈥� said Michelle. 鈥淭he reality of it is that things need to change from a treatment point of view.鈥�
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She added experience has taught her that relapse is part of addiction recovery and while many centres kick people out it if happens, that will not be the case in Penticton, instead more resources will be provided.
鈥淏randon was a good looking boy, six-foot two, blonde and he just had a zest for life,鈥� recalled his mom. 鈥淗e was very caring, he loved animals, he always had a twinkle in his eye and he always went out of his way to help people. He didn鈥檛 plan to be addicted. He didn鈥檛 want to be addicted and we will do our best at the Penticton centre to make sure other families will not have to go through what we have.鈥�
Requests for an interview with the Sunshine Coast Health Centre were not returned. The open house for the Penticton centre is Dec. 15.
