Better info sharing and an addictions clinic needed, says Windsor-Essex health unit

Stigma and poor information sharing are some points brought up at the board of health meeting as barriers to better care for people living with addictions.

Getting help is difficult, according to Dr. Wajid Ahmed, because people don't want to be "labelled as an addict," and sometimes people don't call 911 for help because of that stigma.

He also said there's a "significant gap" in treatment and rehabilitation services for people who need help with their addictions.

This meeting comes at the heels of four suspected overdose deaths that happened within a 24-hour period last weekend.

"We are seeing more and more people showing up at the emergency department, more people dying," said Dr. Wajid Ahmed, acting medical officer of health.

Timely data sharing

An emergency meeting was called Tuesday for the Windsor Essex Community Opioid and Substance Strategy Leadership Committee.

One action item that came out of that meeting was better and timely data sharing.

Currently, police, paramedics and the hospital keep track of overdose-related numbers separately. Using the past weekend as an example, here are the numbers they have, said Ahmed:

• Between Nov. 9-11, six substance use cases were reported to the emergency department

• EMS responded to three suspected overdoses and naloxone was used

• Windsor police confirmed four deaths over the weekend, possibly drug-related

However, it's not easy to verify if those numbers are talking about the same people, according to Ahmed. And if someone were to show up at the hospital with an overdose, but experiences cardiac arrest, it may be "coded" as something other than it being overdose-related.

The reason it's important to have that accurate information, he said, is so first responders are prepared and if there's a reason for a higher number of overdoses, the community can try to prevent more people from falling sick.

It'll also make for a better case to get funding from the province when the numbers are accurate, according to Ahmed.

'Life-saving measures'

Windsor police currently do not carry naloxone.

According to Chief Al Frederick, those types of emergency procedures should be left up to EMS. And he said that sometimes the drug a person may be overdosing on is one which naloxone wouldn't work on.

However, city appointee Bill Marra, who is also an outgoing councillor, feels differently. According to him, fire and police are often one of the first responders on the scene.

"I think the priority should be life-saving measures," he said.

"If you can save one life, then it was worth the expense and worth the effort to revisit policy."

Marra also pushed for better collaboration in order to move things forward.

Ahmed mentioned a Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) clinic as something the community needs, saying the advocacy effort has been ongoing for a while.

"If it's a RAAM clinic that we need, then let's get the business case submitted," said Marra.