WINDSOR -- An alert has been issued due to increase in opioid-related Emergency Department visits in Windsor-Essex over the past two days.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s surveillance and monitoring system has identified five opioid-related Emergency Department visits between Wednesday and Thursday.
Of the 11 cases admitted into the area emergency rooms for overdose, intoxication and substance misuse in the past two days, five were confirmed to be opioid-related.
Through the Essex-Windsor EMS’ Operational Stress Notification System, the health unit is aware of seven instances of Naloxone being administered by EMS in response to suspected opioid overdose in the past week.
Partners involved in the WECOSS including WECHU, Windsor Regional Hospital, Essex Windsor-EMS, and Erie Shores Healthcare continue to monitor this increase and are working to understand more about this reported increase.
Public Health Ontatio reports 22 opioid-related deaths in Windsor-Essex in the first three months of 2019.
That is double the number of people who died in the first quarter last year.
Public Health Ontario has also increased the number of opioid-related deaths in 2018 in Windsor-Essex. The initial report had 48 deaths. That number is now 51, including 10 opioid-related deaths in the month of November.
Stats also show 148 people per 1,000 in the region were prescribed opioids in 2018, higher than any other LHIN in Ontario.
