High Number Of Opioid Overdoses

Windsor-Essex County

Date/Time/Approximate Location

December 15th to December 21st of 2022 

Windsor

Event Description (What is Happening? Who is Affected?)

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s Opioid and Substance Use Notification System has identified an increase in the number of overdoses and substance-use related Emergency Department (ED) visits and Emergency Medical Service (EMS) calls inclusively between December 15th and December 21st of 2022.

Over this seven-day consecutive period, the system flagged a total of eight (8) opioid overdose ED visits, six (6) of which involved FENTANYL. These values exceed our five-year historical average for the current seven-day period in question between one and two standard deviations above the mean. Alongside the ED visits, the system also flagged thirteen (13) substance-use related EMS calls between December 15th and December 21st, with at least one EMS call per day.

Together, the eight (8) opioid overdoses combined with the thirteen (13) substance-use related EMS calls are values that warrant a public alert.

Partners involved in the WECOSS, including the WECHU, Windsor Regional Hospital, Essex Windsor-EMS, Erie Shores Healthcare, and Police Services, continue to monitor this increase and are working to understand more about these reported cases.

Suggested Actions

Suggested actions for members of the WECOSS Leadership Committee are as follows:

  1. Share the Alert with clients, patients, staff/colleagues working with people who use substances, and other organizational networks.
  2. Post the attached Alert Poster in visible and high traffic locations at your organization.
  3. Share the suggested social media messages for the Alert below on organizational social media accounts.
  4.  If you are aware of any linkages between these cases or other causes for these increases, please contact the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.

For more information on the Alert and resources to share with clients/patients regarding safer use, overdose prevention, and access to naloxone, visit www.wecoss.ca.  

Source

WECHU (Acute Care Enhanced Surveillance Application - ACES), Essex-Windsor EMS Overdose Notification System, Windsor Police Services