High Rates of Drug-related ED Visits – May 12 − May 18, 2020

Date/Time/ Approximate Location

May 12  − May 18, 2020

Event description

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s surveillance and monitoring system has identified an increase in substance misuse & overdose-related Emergency Department (ED) visits between the dates of May 12th to May 18th, 2020. Over a 24-hour period on May 16th, 2020 there were 9 substance misuse & overdose related emergency department visits flagged by the system which exceeded the threshold for an alert.

Fentanyl was detected in 12 of the 18 overdose cases reported by the hospitals, as well 3 additional overdoses which involved other opioids.

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 these reported cases.

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 & symptoms of opioid overdose and what to do, visit the WECOSS website: How Can Overdose Be Prevented?

Source

WECHU (Acute Care Enhanced Surveillance Application - ACES), Essex-Windsor EMS Overdose Notification System, Windsor Regional Hospital, and Erie Shores Healthcare