Essex County Council has voted to lend their support, and the support of the local health unit, to endorsing recommendations that are aimed at tackling the opioid crisis province-wide.
The move would see local health officials send a letter of support to Health Minister Christine Elliott endorsing a letter from Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit.
The original letter outlines 8 recommendations to tackle the province-wide crisis.
The recommendations include:
In 2021, there were a total of 416 opioid-related emergency department visits reported in Windsor-Essex, which is 58 more than in 2020 and nearly quadruple 2016's figure. The community also saw a total of 68 opioid-related deaths in 2020; the highest number since reporting began in 2005
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has fully supported the recommendations.