'We could have saved Brandon,' says rehab centre of fentanyl overdose victim
No Naloxone on site and no staff allowed to administer opioid antidote at time of death
The owner of the addiction rehab centre where 20-year-old Brandon Jansen died of a fentanyl overdose in March confirms the centre did not have Naloxone at the facility — and staff were not allowed to administer the drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.
"Had we had Naloxone, had we been armed with the tools that we needed ...we had time, we knew when we found him, we had time if we had that Naloxone we could have saved Brandon," said Melanie Jordan Alsager, owner and CEO of the Sunshine Coast Health Centre.
Jansen died at 4:45 a.m. PT March 7, according to a report by Vancouver Coastal health, which licenses the facility in Powell River.
Staff found him at 5 a.m. said Jordan Alsager of the centre's only fatality in 12 years.
Two weeks after Jansen's death, Health Canada lifted restrictions on Naloxone.
It was one of several regulatory changes made in response to B.C.'s fentanyl crisis — but it happened too late for Brandon Jansen.
Drugs likely came from another patient
"Staff did not contravene the Community Care Act, or its regulations in any way, in relation to Brandon's death," said Jordan Alsager, who points out it's against regulations to lock patients up or watch them constantly.
Text messages on Jansen's cell phone suggest the combination of heroin and fentanyl that killed him were delivered at 2:15 a.m.
Drugs found hidden in vitamins
The report said police also found illicit drugs hidden in Jansen's room, inside supplement containers allegedly delivered by a family member.
"It is unknown if the family member was aware of the contents of the containers, however, this person did not follow protocol by having staff first assess the contents." said the report.
Jansen was not invited to the news conference at the centre.
"Brandon was given supplements by another patient at the centre. He showed the bottle to me on his dresser," she said.
She is frustrated Jordan Alsager hasn't yet spoken to her about the death of her son.
Mother furious with owner
"My son died there [and] the CEO never reached out to me, never offered condolences and never invited me to this [news conference] and is insinuating I, who was the only family member that visited Brandon at the treatment centre, would have brought him illicit substances when I was the one that paid every dollar to put him there." said Jansen, who has spent more than $200,000 on addiction treatment for her son at 11 different centres.
Jordan Alsager said police advised her staff not to speak with Jansen.
"I'm not suggesting anything, I am presenting an investigation and in that report, it refers to a family member bringing in an illicit substance, so say the RCMP."
But Jansen said the treatment centre should have tested any substance in her son's room.
Coroner's inquest in January
A coroner's inquest has been announced for January to look into Jansen's death.
On average, two people have died each day of overdoses in this province between January and September of this year — 555 in total in those months.
Jordan Alsager also expressed frustration that her centre's doctor was unable to prescribe Suboxone at the time of Brandon's death, though he had been taking the training and was awaiting approval.
The prescription pill that curbs opioid cravings and withdrawal had helped Jansen stay clean at another facility for two months prior to arriving at the Sunshine Coast centre.
The B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons did not remove restrictions on Suboxone until July.
Now, all opioid addicts at the centre must take Suboxone.
The centre has also installed security cameras to monitor the perimeter and all staff have been trained to administer Naloxone.