Windsor's top doctor is calling for 'collaboration' when it comes to solving the opioid crisis.
This after the Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health's annual report shed light on substance use in the province since the pandemic, with the report itself calling for an all-of-society approach to reduce substance use harms.
Dr. Mehdi Aloosh, Medical Officer of Health, Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) says as he dug into the report, he found the stats for our region very concerning.
"The death rate from opioids is higher than the province here in Windsor and Essex County and the level of hospitalization as a result of alcohol misuse is significantly higher than the province. Those are standouts in our area."
He says in terms of solving the opioids crisis, just one word comes to mind: collaboration.
"This is not something that public health [can] handle on it's own. This is a complex multi-faceted issue, that needs a multi-sector approach. So I invite the community to look at the report, to look at the numbers and some of the messages for our community, for our schools, for our organizations."
The report states there are currently between 2,500 and 3,000 opioid toxicity deaths in Ontario each year -- or one tragic, preventable death every three hours, largely due to the toxic unregulated drug supply.
Thousands more Ontarians are also treated for accidental overdoses in our emergency departments each year. But substance-related harms are not limited to unregulated substances.
Every year, the use of regulated substances, like tobacco/vaping products, alcohol, and cannabis, results in thousands of emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths.
The report states use of these four substances costs the province billions of dollars each year in health care, lost productivity, criminal justice, and other direct costs.
Dr. Aloosh is also echoing the call from the report which states in order to reduce substance-use harms, there must be investment to help people develop strong relationships and social connections.
"We as a community, we should put one step back and look at this issue from a broader perspective and to find out what we can do about housing. What about better education for everyone. So I think that those are really important pieces that we need to look again and come up with some solutions, hopefully working together."
Click here to view the report: https://www.ontario.ca/page/chief-medical-officer-health-2023-annual-report.