Opioid-related overdoses nearly double in 2017, EMS called daily

Last year was a devastating one when it comes to overdoses, as the opioid crisis took communities across Canada into uncharted waters – including here in Waterloo Region.

Regional Police say there were 65 suspected opioid-related deaths in 2017, and local paramedics responded to an unprecedented amount of calls regarding possible overdoses.

Rob Crossan is Deputy Chief with Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services. He says their year-end total for opioid overdose-related calls was 767.

“The year before, we were at 410 overdose calls. So that’s an increase of 357 calls, and we were close to doubling what we thought was a bad year last year. This rapid increase is alarming to us, and we’re not alone in that.”

Taking a look back further, the numbers become even more alarming – as Crossan says there were only 197 opioid-overdose calls back in 2014.

“So that was less than one a day.. and in two short years, we went to 767 calls and are averaging around two a day. We’re a service that responds to 50,000 calls a year – so in the grand scheme of things, opioid-overdoses accounted for about 1.5 per cent of our calls. So we’re not being buried by this yet, but they are time-critical and high-stress calls, so this is certainly troubling.”

Crossan says Cambridge and Kitchener appear to be ‘hot spots’ on the map for overdose calls – but that doesn’t necessarily mean the opioid crisis is more prevalent there.

“We have a saying – calls are where the people are. Kitchener obviously has the highest population in the Region, so they’ll usually have the most of any type of call, with the exception of things like farm accidents. So the heat map maybe doesn’t give the full picture, but the Epidemiology team did break it down in the sense of rate per 100 thousand population.”

Crossan also notes that seeing an increase in police reports may be a sign of something positive.

“It could show that people are more comfortable because of the Good Samaritan Act, which means someone witnessing an overdose can call without the worry of being arrested. Our partners at Waterloo Regional Police Service are doing their part to get the message out to young people that they need to be aware, not use alone, have Naloxone, and don’t hesitate to call 911.”

ROW Paramedics are fully-trained on how to use Naloxone, but out of last year’s 767 calls – the anti-overdose drug only had to be administered 137 times.

When it comes to reducing opioid-related overdoses in the future, Crossan says it’ll need to be a collaborative effort, with prevention and awareness really starting in the home.

“Talking to your kids about substance use and making smart choices isn’t always the easiest conversation for parents to have, but it’s critical. I can’t imagine shying away from having that conversation with my child, and then something happening to them, or their friend. It starts with parents having that conversation 100 per cent.”

You can see the full report from The Region’s Epidemiology and Health Analytics Team by clicking here.

For more information on addiction services and local support, click here.

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