Hamilton commits to opioid surveillance and monitoring system

As opioid overdose deaths continue to mount, Hamilton will commit to a new surveillance and monitoring system in an effort to share information and save lives, the city says.

That news comes out an opioid summit hosted by the city, as Hamilton attempts to get out in front of a problem that is killing people across the country at staggering rates.

"This level of drug addiction isn't just for the down and out it's all over the community," Mayor Fred Eisenberger said. "There is a significant issue out there and obviously, we don't want anyone to die."

• Deadly drug carfentanil has been in Hamilton for nearly 2 months: police
• Hamilton LHIN has most opioid overdose deaths in province over 5 years

Today's summit included representatives from over two-dozen organizations, including the city, the police, paramedics, local hospitals, addictions services, and more.

The city says those organizations committed to developing an enhanced opioid data monitoring system by collecting surveillance reports that will be shared with the public and community partners.

That's the greater worry and the greater issue now carfentanil.- Mayor Fred Eisenberger

Dr. Jessica Hopkins, the city's associate medical officer of health, said that the city will start sharing data about overdoses other opioid-related data on its website starting in February.

Attendees at the summit also talked about working on partnerships to get to a "more coordinated response for the problem," the city says, and increased advocacy for harm reduction services like Naloxone which essentially works as an antidote for someone who is overdosing.

But Hopkins was quick to caution that one hour-and-a-half summit is far from a final solution. "This is not an issue that can be solved in a single day or a single meeting," she said.

According to preliminary reports from the provincial coroner's office, there were 47 deaths in Hamilton caused by opioids or a combination of opioids and alcohol in 2015.

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11 years ago

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Former opioid addict Nicole and Debbie Bang, the manager of St. Josephs Healthcare Womankind addiction service, explain prescription painkiller addiction.

That same year, there were 199 emergency department visits and 89 hospitalizations for opioid poisoning among Hamilton residents.

In fact, there have been more opioid-related deaths in the Hamilton LHIN over a five-year period than anywhere else in the province, according to a recent study from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences.

The report also shows that the Hamilton LHIN (which includes Niagara, Haldimand and Brant) had the highest number of opioid-related hospital admissions and emergency department visits in the entire province in 2014.

Those kinds of numbers show the gravity of the situation as does the emergence of carfentanil in the city.

It would take several doses of naloxone to reverse the effects of carfentanil, which is 10,000 times stronger than heroin. Even tiny amounts are deadly so deadly that police have advised people to not even touch the substance if they see it.

It's so potent that emergency room staff wear face masks, shields, gloves and gowns to treat patients suspected of using the drug.

"That's the greater worry and the greater issue now carfentanil," Eisenberger said.