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Date/Time/Approximate Location |
Tuesday, March 1st, 2022 Windsor & Essex County |
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Event Description |
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s surveillance and monitoring system has identified an increase in the number of opioid-related Emergency Department (ED) visits and substance use-related Emergency Medical Service (EMS) calls inclusively between February 21st and February 27th of 2022. Over this consecutive seven-day period, there were a total of eight (8) opioid overdoses reported by Windsor Regional Hospital and Erie Shores Healthcare combined, six (6) of which involved fentanyl. These values fall below our five-year historical average for the current week in question, but are higher than our two-year average. In addition, Windsor Regional Hospital reported five (5) fentanyl non-overdoses during this same time period, which is relatively high in comparison to historical values. Substance use-related EMS notifications were also received on three consecutive days from February 25th to February 27th, with a total of nine (9) notifications flagged during this time period. As such, based on the information available, a public alert is warranted. 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. |
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Response |
Please share this information with clients and relevant partners. 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 signs and symptoms of opioid overdose and what to do, visit the WECOSS website: How Can Overdose Be Prevented? |
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Source |
WECHU (Acute Care Enhanced Surveillance Application - ACES), Essex-Windsor EMS Overdose Notification System, Windsor Police Services |
Windsor-Essex County