The number of opioid overdose calls to Lambton EMS has tripled over the last three years.
Lambton Public Health's January Opioid Surveillance Bulletin, showed 223 related calls to emergency responders in 2020, up from just 69 in 2018.
Lambton's Mental Health and Addictions Program Coordinator Ellie Carson said there were 23 related deaths between January and August last year, compared to 21 in all of 2019. Local emergency departments also saw an increase in opioid-related visits, 173 compared to 155 in 2019.
Carson said the year-to-date rate of emergency room visits locally was well above the provincial average of 77.6 per 100,000 at 132 per 100,000. She said it's obvious more work needs to be done to tackle the opioid crisis.
"Certainly we have a ways to go," said Carson. "But, Bluewater Health's Withdrawal Management expansion will certainly help more people access the services they need. Lambton Public Health has continued to offer harm reduction supplies and education throughout the pandemic, including take home naloxone kits."
Carson said they're also working on the development of a Community Early Response System with first responders.
"So that we can issue an alert or education more quickly in response to some of these concerns that arise, so we may issue an alert to indicate to folks that there's a particularly harmful batch of drugs that are available and being sold on the street," she said.
Drug users are reminded the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act offers protection from simple possession charges if they have to report an overdose or call 911.
