Date/Time/Approximate Location |
January 20th to January 26th of 2023 |
Event Description |
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s Opioid and Substance Use Notification System has identified an increase in the number of opioid overdose Emergency Department (ED) visits and Emergency Medical Service (EMS) calls inclusively from January 20th of 2023 to January 26th of 2023. The weekly values exceed our five-year historical average for the current weeks in question by more than two standard deviations above the mean. This value meets our criteria for a public alert. In addition, from January 28th to January 29th of 2023, the system recorded fifteen (15) substance misuse Emergency Department (ED) visits, eight (8) of which were overdoses and nine (9) EMS calls for suspected opioid overdose. Partners involved in the WECOSS, including the WECHU, Windsor Regional Hospital, Essex Windsor-EMS, Erie Shores Healthcare, and Police Services, continue to monitor this increase and are working to understand more about these reported cases. |
Suggested Actions |
Please share the Alert amongst your networks. If you are aware of any linkages between these cases or other causes for these increases, please contact the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS USING OPIOIDS, HERE ARE A FEW IMPORTANT SAFETY TIPS:
You can also visit the WECOSS Data Dashboard for additional statistics on opioid and other substance use in Windsor-Essex County. |
Source |
WECHU (Acute Care Enhanced Surveillance Application - ACES), Essex-Windsor EMS Overdose Notification System, Windsor Police Services |
Windsor-Essex County