An alert has been issued due to a high number of opioid-related emergency department visits in Windsor-Essex.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s Opioid and Substance Use Notification System has identified an increase in the number of opioid overdose Emergency Department visits and Emergency Medical Service calls inclusively from Jan. 20, 2023 to Jan. 26, 2023.
Over this seven-day period, the system recorded 11 opioid overdose emergency department visits, nine of which involved fentanyl.
On top of these figures, between Jan. 28 to Jan. 29, the system recorded 15 substance misuse emergency department visits, eight of which were overdoses and nine EMS calls for suspected opioid overdose.
Partners involved in the WECOSS, including the WECHU, Windsor Regional Hospital, Essex Windsor-EMS, Erie Shores Healthcare, and Police Services, continue to monitor this increase and are working to understand more about these reported cases.