Date/Time/Approximate Location |
Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023 Windsor-Essex County |
Event Description |
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s Opioid and Substance Use Notification System has identified an increase in the number of opioid overdose Emergency Department (ED) visits and Emergency Medical Service (EMS) calls inclusively between July 25th and July 31st of 2023. Over this seven-day consecutive period, there were a total of twelve (12) opioid overdose ED visits flagged by the system, nine (9) of which involved fentanyl. These values significantly exceed the two-year historical average for the current week in question, meeting our criteria for a public alert. Alongside the ED visits, the system also identified seven (7) consecutive days of suspected opioid overdose EMS calls during the period of July 25th and July 31st, with at least one (1) call received per day. In total, there were seventeen (17) suspected opioid overdose EMS calls recorded over this period. 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 |
Please share the Alert amongst your networks. If you are aware of any linkages between these cases or other causes for these increases, please contact the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS USING OPIOIDS, HERE ARE A FEW IMPORTANT SAFETY TIPS:
You can also visit the WECOSS Data Dashboard for additional statistics on opioid and other substance use in Windsor-Essex County. |
Source |
WECHU (Acute Care Enhanced Surveillance Application - ACES), Essex-Windsor EMS Overdose Notification System, Windsor Police Services |
High Number Of Opioid Overdoses - August 2, 2023
Windsor-Essex County