The Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit has created a new on-line tool to provide local residents and agencies with the latest opioid data, allowing for quicker community response to overdoses and a chance to prevent possible deaths.
The new Early Warning System Opioid Dashboard will be launched this month for Northumberland County, Haliburton County and the City of Kawartha Lakes.
This new dashboard will be updated weekly with the number of suspected and confirmed overdoses in the region, including those responded to by local police and paramedic services. The dashboard also provides historical data on opioid-related emergency-department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in the region.
Accessible at www.hkpr.on.ca, the dashboard was created thanks to Federal funding received in 2020, with feedback throughout its development and implementation from a number of partner agencies, local police and paramedic services.
“There is value in being able to have a more complete picture of opioid overdoses in our region, allowing us to make informed decisions on how best to respond in a timely manner,” HKPR Substances and Harm Reduction Coordinator (and Registered Nurse) Catherine MacDonald said in the announcement.
For example, if an increase in overdoses is detected, the health unit and its harm-reduction partners could mobilize and respond. For example, McDonald said, this could include issuing an overdose alert, informing police, first responders and substance users about a toxic supply of drugs. Partner agencies could do enhanced outreach in specific communities where there is a problem. Distribution of naloxone kits (an emergency medicine that temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose until the victim can get to hospital for treatment) could also be enhanced.
“The opioid dashboard is valuable to help us respond more effectively and get a sense of the scope of the problem,” MacDonald added.
“In general, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen a noticeable increase in opioid overdose-related emergency-department visits, hospitalizations and deaths in our region. This is not unique to our area, as similar trends are being seen across the country.”
Preliminary data from Public Health Ontario for opioid-related deaths in the HKPR region shows nearly double the rate of deaths in the first year of the pandemic compared to the previous 12 months. Specifically, PHO reports 21 deaths (or 11.3 per 100,000 residents) for the HKPR region from April 2019 to March 2020. This compares to 41 deaths (or 21.8 per 100,000 residents) from April 2020 to March 2021.
MacDonald said the new Early Warning System Opioid Dashboard system enhances data collection in two important ways.
• Currently, the health unit only has opioid-related data from local hospitals, the Ministry of Health and PHO. The new opioid dashboard will also incorporate statistics from local police services and paramedics, allowing all local data to be centralized into one easy-to-access site.
• The dashboard also includes a form in which local residents and agencies can anonymously report on overdose incidents they may have witnessed, or any other opioid-related activities of which they may be aware. “We encourage people to visit the opioid dashboard when they have information to provide about overdoses and opioid activity. This can give us an even better picture on what is happening in our communities in terms of opioid use,” MacDonald said.
The health unit reminds people who use drugs to keep these safety measures in mind:
• Test a small amount of any drug before using.
• Never use alone.
• If you are alone, call the National Overdose Response Service virtual safe consumption at 1-888-668- NORS (6677), or practice the buddy system and call a friend.
• Call 911 in the event of an overdose.
• Keep a naloxone kit on hand. You can get a naloxone kit at most pharmacies and needle exchange sites.
• Avoid mixing drugs.
MacDonald also asks people to intervene if they see someone who is overdosing. Call 911, and give the person naloxone. She reminds everyone that the Good Samaritan Act protects anyone trying to help in an emergency from possible legal repercussions.
The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act also protects people on the scene of an overdose from being charged for possessing or using drugs.
“Equally important as preventing overdoses is changing the conversation about opioid use,” she said.
“We need to work together, setting aside personal concerns and opinions, and treat people impacted by opioids with compassion and dignity to get to the root of this issue.”