Essex-Windsor EMS ambulance, June 20, 2019. Blackburn News file photo.Essex-Windsor EMS ambulance, June 20, 2019. Blackburn News file photo.
Windsor

Overdose increase prompts WECOSS alert

Hospitals in Windsor-Essex have been dealing with a high number of suspected opioid overdoses.

The Windsor-Essex Community Opioid and Substance Strategy (WECOSS) reported Wednesday afternoon that there were 14 opioid-related visits to area emergency departments between April 4 and 10.

There was no immediate word on how many of those overdoses involved fentanyl.

Between Saturday and Monday, WECOSS reported consecutive days of ambulance calls for possible opioid overdoses. During the entire week surveyed, there were 18 calls to Essex-Windsor EMS for this issue.

WECOSS consists of dozens of partners led by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. Among them are the City of Windsor, Windsor police, LaSalle police, Ontario Provincial Police, all three Windsor-Essex hospital systems, Essex-Windsor EMS, the Canadian Mental Health Association, Brentwood Recovery Home, and others.

For complete information on what to do if someone is having an overdose, visit the page on the official WECOSS website.

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Photo by Sarah Joy via Flickr

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