The number of people dying from opioids in London and Middlesex County is decreasing after hitting an all-time high in the first three months of 2018.
Dr. Chris Mackie, the region's medical officer of health, announced Thursday that between April and June of last year there was only 12 opioid-related deaths in the London-area. That number went down even more between July and September of last year when there were eight recorded opioid-related deaths.
The figures came as a shock to public health officials who had been bracing for a potentially unprecedented number of opioid overdose deaths after 22 such deaths occurred during the first three months of 2018.
"This is huge news. We really expected opioid poisoning deaths to a spike in the third quarter and that didn't happen," said Dr. Mackie. "We were seeing overdoses in the community, we were seeing them in the clinic, we were seeing the police reporting fentanyl seizures - all of that pointing to fentanyl really hitting our community and by all accounts, we should have seen a spike in deaths. We did not see that. Deaths actually came down 63 per cent since the beginning of 2018 to the third quarter."
London is now below the provincial average for opioid-related deaths, Mackie added.
Almost none of the individuals who died due to accidental overdose during the second and third quarter of 2018 showed evidence of injection drug use, suggesting that other forms of drugs, such as pills, are being used.
Mackie attributed this to the harm reduction work being conducted by multiple agencies throughout the city including the Middlesex London Health Unit, the Regional HIV/AIDS Connection, and Addiction Services Of Thames Valley. He also credited the temporary drug overdose prevention site on King Street, which gives people a place to consume narcotics under the supervision of health professionals and referrals to addictions treatment and mental health counselling.
"We are really seeing the transforming power of kindness and love in that clinic. When someone feels like they are cared for by someone else they can start caring for themselves and valuing themselves and that can make a big difference in their life trajectory," said Mackie.
London's temporary drug overdose prevention site opened in February of last year in the same building that houses the Regional HIV/AIDS Connection. Since then there have been 13,719 visits to the site, staff have reversed 83 overdoses, and hundreds of people have been referred to a range of community services.
Sonja Burke shows off a thank you card sent to London's temporary overdose prevention site.
A couple who were revived by staff at the site using CPR and naloxone were so appreciative they sent a handmade card of thanks in July, which was shared with those in attendance at Thursday's news conference.
"From the bottom of our thankfully still beating hearts thank you. You literally saved our lives. We could never repay you. Thank you all for never passing judgement and always making us feel comfortable and like we belong," the card stated.
Sonja Burke of the Regional HIV/AIDS Connection noted the couple signing their names to it was extra special for staff.
"Often people are unwilling to give their names because of the stigma attached to addiction," said Burke, who heard from the couple again this month. She was happy to report they are getting treatment for their addictions and are looking for jobs.
London police officers were also praised at the hour-long news conference for their part in curbing the number of opioid-related deaths in the city. Since officers began carrying naloxone last June, they have administered 96 doses of the drug to 59 people experiencing an opioid overdose. All but two survived.
