On the heels of staggering provincial stats when it comes to fentanyl overdoses, one local harm reduction leader says more needs to be done in terms of access to addictions treatment.

Jennifer Vanderschaeghe with Turning Point in Red Deer says despite news the province is expanding the number of law enforcement and first responders that can deliver naloxone by injection, which can save an overdose victim.

But Vanderschaeghe says there's been no increases in access to addictions treatment.

"The best practice is actually suboxone or methadone.Now in Central Alberta we have very few doctors who prescribe suboxone or methadone. For the last two years we didn't get any additional doctors coming online to prescribe. We didn't get any doctors prescribing and managing more clients for example. We didn't get additional residential treatment either."

The province released staggering numbers this week on the number of deaths from fentanyl overdoses last year, 343 to be exact, and Jennifer Vanderschaeghe says we have a lot of people dying here too.

"Overdoses are causing substantial deaths. In the last quarter of 2016 we had 16 Central Albertans die from just fentanyl overdoses.That doesn't include other overdoses from other opiods."

In the Central Zone there are 125 community pharmacies and other sites registered to distribute naloxone kits, there are 2 in Lacombe, the Shopper's Drug Mart and No Frill's Pharmacy.