An unusual increase in emergency department visits for drug overdoses in Windsor-Essex this week has led to an alert.
The alert was reported Friday afternoon by the Windsor-Essex Community Opioid and Substance Strategy (WECOSS), of which the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is a partner. According to the alert, the health unit's surveillance and monitoring system identified 11 emergency department visits in Windsor-Essex on Wednesday and Thursday alone. Of those 11 cases, five of them were confirmed to be a result of opioid use.
Also, the health unit has reported seven cases this week of naloxone being administered to patients by paramedics in response to suspected opioid intoxication. This information was compiled by the Essex-Windsor EMS Operational Stress Notification System.
"Partners involved in the WECOSS including WECHU, Windsor Regional Hospital, Essex-Windsor EMS, and Erie Shores Healthcare continue to monitor this increase and are working to understand more about this reported increase," read the alert.
WECOSS has provided comprehensive information on opioid overdose prevention and treatment, as well as administering naloxone in the event of an overdose. For details, visit their official website.
