The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has issued a public service announcement warning anyone using street drugs to be extremely cautious, as hospital emergency department visits due to suspected overdoses have doubled over the last few weeks.
According to the health unit, from June 17 to June 26, hospitals in Simcoe and Muskoka saw 44 suspected drug overdose cases. This works out to be roughly twice the recent daily average for the region.
The health unit says 21 of the suspected drug overdose cases were treated at the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre in Barrie. Staff at the Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital saw 10 suspected overdoses and other hospitals in Simcoe and Muskoka report opioid overdose related visits as well.
The health unit says most of the individuals involved were women between the ages of 15 and 44.
While the source of the overdoses is unknown, the health unit says unintentional overdose can be the result of street drugs being mixed with synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
Fentanyl is a powerful opioid that can cause people to stop breathing with a very small dose. The health unit says that bootleg fentanyl is being mixed into many illegally-sold street drugs, including counterfeit prescription pills in Simcoe and Muskoka and in other regions across Ontario.
As a result, the health unit is urging anyone using substances recreationally to take extra care, and to carry naloxone in the event of an overdose.
“Anyone using street drugs recreationally should ensure they have someone with them when using,” associate medical officer of health Dr. Lisa Simon said in a statement.
Simon recommends people use one drug at a time, use small quantities to begin with, and have a plan in place to respond in the event of an overdose.
This news comes the same week the first of three Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) clinics opened in the region in an effort to address the escalating opioid overdose crisis.
Comments