PETERBOROUGH-Officials in Peterborough plan to open a Temporary Overdose Prevention Site in response to the growing opioid crisis locally.
Twenty people are suspected to have died from opioid overdoses in Peterborough in 2017. Peterborough had the 4th highest annual rate* of opioid-related deaths between July 2013 and June 2016 and ranked 3rd highest in the number of opioid poisoning hospitalizations in 2016/17 in Ontario.
In 2017, Peterborough County/City Paramedics (PCCP) report that they experienced a 65% increase in Overdose/ Intoxication type calls, compared to an average yearly increase of 15% between 2014-2016. The average age of opioid related overdose patients in 2017 was 36 years old according to PARN.
Stacey Miller’s (name changed to protect son)son has been addicted to drugs for 17 years. He’s overdosed five times. “I was at his apartment the last time(he overdosed)when he was unresponsive and dead on arrival to hospital” She told Kawartha 411. “We got him to the hospital and he was on life support for five days.”
Miller was at the Ross Memorial Hospital last August to pick up some information on opioid overdose and to volunteer for the cause. August 31st is International Overdose Awareness Day and the hospital had set up an information kiosk in the main lobby.
Officials say the Ross Memorial Hospital has been treating at least one overdose patient a day. “We do see a lot of clients that come to the emergency room following an overdose of opiates.” Dr Bharat Chawala told Kawartha 411. “This is a problem we need to tackle as a community as a whole.”
The Temporary Overdose Prevention Site will provide people who use opioids with a space where they can use those drugs under the supervision of health professionals in order to prevent overdose deaths. This site is intended to be in operation for three to six months.
“The opioid crisis is far from over,” says PARN Executive Director Kim Dolan. “In our community, we will likely see more overdoses in the coming year and, sadly, more deaths than we have ever seen. This complex crisis is a call to action. With leadership from both the Provincial and Federal Governments, we have an opportunity to immediately respond to the opioid crisis and save lives.”
“The tragic reality is that people – our friends, our colleagues, our neighbours, our children, our parents – are needlessly dying,” continues Dolan. “ A Temporary Overdose Prevention Site will provide trained staff, peers and volunteers who will be able to intervene immediately should an overdose occur.”
The creation of a Temporary Overdose Prevention Site in Peterborough became possible in December of 2017 when the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care announced an expanded response to Ontario’s opioid drug crisis. Former Health Minister Dr. Eric Hoskins wrote to the federal government requesting that Ontario be allowed to approve and fund overdose prevention sites. The Province began accepting applications for sanctioned Temporary Overdose Prevention Sites in early January.
“It is clear that this crisis is a concern for everyone in our community. I am proud that PARN is taking the lead and expanding their services to include a Temporary Overdose Prevention Site,” says Peterborough MPP Jeff Leal. “This site will provide necessary health services that are accessible and free of stigma that will help save lives.
PARN is already handing out Naloxone, a drug can that reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and offers drug users free, clean needles and other supplies.
