9 opioid overdoses reported over week-long period, says health unit
During the same time, 14 substance-related EMS calls were made
A public alert was issued Wednesday by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) following a significant increase in opioid-related overdoses and emergency calls.
Between March 28 and April 3, nine opioid overdoses were reported by local hospitals.
Of those incidents, six cases involved fentanyl and three involved non-overdose fentanyl use.
Historical records show this is higher than the two-year and five-year averages.
During the same week, another 14 substance use-related calls to EMS services were also made. WECHU said this exceeds the 2022 average of 10.5 calls per week.
The public alert was issued via the Windsor-Essex Community Opioid and Substance Strategy (WECOSS) group, comprised of community partners including the health unit, Windsor Regional Hospital, Essex Windsor-EMS, Erie Shores Healthcare and Windsor Police Services.
Wednesday's alert marks the third this year for the Windsor-Essex region.
In 2021, 13 such alerts were issued for the region.
