International Overdose Awareness Day takes place on August 31 of each year with an aim to raise awareness of overdose, reduce stigma associated with drug related deaths, and remember those who have died or suffered permanent injury due to drug overdose. While awareness of the risk and impact of overdose is always important, it is especially relevant as the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Virtual Overdose Awareness Symposium Today from 10:30 to 11:30 am
HPEPH is collaborating with community partners to host a virtual Overdose Awareness Symposium to raise overdose awareness and provide resources and support information to the community. Join online from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. today at bit.ly/OverdoseAwarenessDay2021 or by phone by calling 613-209-3054 and use meeting ID: 944 7234 6841 / Passcode: 535590.
While everyone has been impacted by the pandemic, many individuals who experience substance use disorders are at an increased risk during the pandemic, due to closures, isolation, and changes in services and support. There was a 75% increase in the number of opioid-related deaths in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties (HPEC) in 2020*, with 16 deaths in 2019 and 28 in 2020. Provincially there was a 60% increase in opioid-related deaths during the same period. Preliminary data for 2021 indicates a rise in opioid-related deaths, with nine (9) deaths in the first four months of 2021.
The impacts of pandemic related isolation, changes in service delivery, and the presence of contaminated drugs in the community, have increased the risk of overdose in HPEC. While some support services have had to modify their service delivery model due to the pandemic, individuals who use drugs are encouraged to take steps to use as safely as possible. Harm reduction supplies continue to be available at HPEPH’s Belleville, Trenton, and Bancroft offices. Consider additional precautions to use as safely as possible during the pandemic. If you must use alone, call the National Overdose Response Service overdose prevention hotline at 1-888-688-6677. The hotline operates 24-hours-a-day and when you call this confidential and judgement free service, the operator will stay on the phone with you while you use drugs, and will call 911 and advise of possible overdose if they do not receive a response after drugs are administered.
Overdose can happen to anyone, including people who use street drugs and people who may use a prescription incorrectly. Substance use disorders can also affect anyone, as addiction and mental health disorders are complex, and are impacted by a verity of factors outside of their control. It is important that people with substance use disorders are treated with the same dignity and respect those experiencing any other health issue.
Community members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the signs of an overdose and know how to respond to an overdose. If you experience a substance use disorder, you are not alone. Visit our mental and emotional health during COVID-19 web page for resources and support options. For more information, visit hpePublicHealth.ca.
THE ABOVE IS FROM HASTINGS AND PRINCE EDWARD PUBLIC HEALTH
