WECOSS reports 26 opioid-related emergency visits in one week

Opioid-related emergency visits and EMS calls saw an increase last week, according to theWindsor Essex Community Opioidand Substance Strategy (WECOSS).

Twenty-sixopioid-related emergency department visits took place between July 6 and July 13. Eighteen visits were opioid-related overdoses,17 of which werecaused by fentanyl. The remaining emergency visits were not due to an overdose.

WECOSS reported an additional eight visits. The emergency visits were related to methamphetamine but were notconsidered to be overdoses.

The health unit said the numbers for this past week have been low historically, but numbers reported bythe hospitals exceed expected thresholds.

Opioid-related emergency visits and EMS have significantly risen in Windsor over the last year.

In 2020, the region saw a record348 overdoses with 64 deaths.

Windsor'spublic health unit is currently involved in setting up asupervised consumption siteandrecently had sought publicfeedbackon two potential locations in downtown Windsor.

The public is encouraged to watch for signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose and to visit the WECOSS website for more information on preventing overdoses.