Spike in overdoses prompts emergency meeting for health agencies

Community members held an emergency meeting after a concerning spike of overdoses in Windsor-Essex. CTV Windsor’s Robert Lothian has more.

Community partners in Windsor-Essex held an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss an alarming rise in drug overdoses.

Members of the Windsor Essex Community Opioid and Substance Strategy (WECOSS) held their second emergency meeting since the strategy’s establishment in 2017.

A community alert issued Monday, Eric Nadalin, a co-chair of WECOSS, said was prompted by a rate of overdoses that “far surpassed” the typical rate over a week.

“This particular one was cause for concern because of how drastically it exceeded the threshold we normally reach in our community,” Nadalin said

Between Feb. 22 and Feb. 28, there were 19 opioid-related emergency department visits, including 16 involving fentanyl, according to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU).

Nadalin, who also serves as the director of public health programs for WECHU, said community partners “corroborated” similar experiences.

Believed to be fentanyl, the substance is being described as beige or brown, with a dry and chunky texture.

Reports of hallucinations and “very heavy nod” after using the substance are believed to be caused by other depressants or contaminants mixed into the fentanyl.

“The hallucination component of that is not typical of a fentanyl overdose, and so that’s something that we keep an eye on. It tells us that not only is it fentanyl that people are consuming, but there’s something else mixed in there,” Nadalin said.

Tuesday’s meeting included 32 community partners, including emergency services, social services and treatment providers.

In response, Nadalin said community partners have begun increasing resources to outreach teams.

Their focus is to further educate individuals on the substance circulating and steps they can take to prevent an overdose.

“So those who drive around the community, support those in need, those in crisis, those that they observe using substances or may be experiencing an overdose,” Nadalin explained.

Nadalin is urging individuals at risk to start with a small dose, never use substances alone, and be prepared with naloxone.

For those seeking help, he added, there are available resources in the community for people in all stages. As it can impact people in all walks of life, he said their approach is meant to help individuals across Windsor-Essex regardless of their situation.

“The strategies that are developed by partners in the meeting today are developed to support all walks of life from the downtown core to Leamington to LaSalle, to Tecumseh to Lakeshore, to be able to support parents, to be able to support loved ones, to be able to support brothers and sisters, in their journey related to substance use and treatment, if that’s appropriate for them,” Nadalin said.