A drop in paramedic calls late last year provided some hope in Hamilton’s fight against the opioid crisis, after officials reported the highest dispatch numbers over six years during 2023.
On Tuesday, public health officials revealed paramedics responded to 964 suspected opioid overdose incidents last year, 50 more than the previous high of 914 reported in 2020.
However, a drop in the final quarter of 2023, just 167 calls between October through December, was the lowest in any three-month period in the last three years.
Most of those calls were tied to men between the aged 30 and 60 years of age, with the average calls per month around 80 over the 365 days.
There were 199 suspect drug-related deaths in Hamilton during 2023, down by 22 cases compared to the previous year.
Public health says 111 have either been confirmed or are suspected opioid-related deaths.
“Most incidents leading to suspect drug-related deaths occurred in private residences and toxicology data show that most opioid-related deaths in Hamilton involve at least one other substance,” the report from the city’s Epidemiology and Wellness Division said.
The agency believes 65 per cent of suspected drug-related deaths in the city occurred in a private residence while 89 per cent of all opioid-related deaths involved more than one substance.
The city declared an opioid overdose and poisoning state of emergency back in April to seek assistance from other levels of government.
An Opioid Action Plan is ongoing with community partners in the hopes of eventually scaling up supervised consumption sites, expanding drug-checking resources and streamlining treatment services.
The Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre (HUCCHC) is seeking a second consumption and treatment service (CTS) for the city.
The agency already runs a site on James Street South.