Chatham-Kent's top public health doctor has some practical suggestions for how to raise awareness about substance use on the day the community recognizes overdose awareness.
CK's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, told CK Mornings with Chris, Allanah & Matt on 94.3 CKSY on Thursday that stigma is still one of the key barriers to dealing with substance use deaths.
He says stigma has a number of components including shame and social prejudice.
"People are biased towards people currently using drugs... at the end of the day, substance use is the same as having cancer or heart disease and one should not face prejudice for being ill," said Dr. Nesathurai, adding that concealment is also a big hurdle to clear. "Stigma is associated with concealment -- as one of my friends who is a minister said, 'Concealment leads to silence.'"
Dr. Nesathurai said there are three practical things that the public health unit would like people to do to fight back against stigma and concealment.
The first is to call someone you know to talk about substance use disorders and talk about the fact that it's a common burden in our community.
"There are people who live on the streets and people who live under bridges and there are people like me," said Dr. Nesathurai. "The fact of the matter is that most people who die of substance use disorder die at home -- they don't die on the street or in a park."
The second thing Dr. Nesathurai is asking people to do is to reach out to people who you know are using substances.
"Give them a call -- reach out to them and tell them that you love them, that you're there to support them," said Dr. Nesathurai. "Doing those things doesn't mean that you support the underlying conduct, it just means we are available for them."
Dr. Nesathurai said the third thing members of the public can do to help fight back against substance use deaths is to make sure people who use substances get access to good quality medical care in a timely way just like every other disease that is treated by medicine.
"The first two, we can do today," said Dr. Nesathurai. "There are about 100,000 people living in Chatham-Kent and if we can talk about it a bit more, that's a good prescription for stigma."
Dr. Nesathurai said anyone who feels they do want treatment to deal with a substance abuse issue should reach out to their family doctor or through the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit's website to connect them with available resources.
In order to keep the conversation going, there will also be two events taking place in Chatham-Kent on Thursday.
Reach Out Chatham-Kent and the Chatham-Kent Drug Awareness Council will be holding International Overdose Awareness Day events will be held at the R.O.C.K. drop-in centres at 39 Richmond Street in Chatham and at 233 Nelson Street in Wallaceburg on Thursday, August 29, 2024 from 3-6 p.m.
The free events will include food and refreshments, local musicians, art therapy activities, naloxone training, and substance use education.
