The Status Of Opioids In Oxford County

Friday, 27 October 2017 05:15

Oxford County has released a detailed report about how Opioids have impacted our area.

OXFORD COUNTY - Oxford County has released a report regarding drug use in our community.

It contains lots of statistics about the use of opioids and other illicit drugs in our area throughout the years.

Opioids managed to cause seven deaths in Oxford this past year. Epidemiologist Melissa MacLeod says drugs like fentanyl, oxycodone and methadone also caused 39 emergency room visits and 21 hospitalizations in the county.

"Historically over time Oxford County has been higher than Ontario for the rate of emergency department visits and hospitalizations. So going back to 2003 historically we have been higher."

14.5 percent of Oxford County residents were received opioid prescriptions for pain last year.

Public Health distributed 45 naloxone kits to individuals between January and September of this year. Ten local pharmacies also handed out 230 kits. Public Health reported 30 users administering their kits for 54 doses.

Public Health Nurse Lisa Gillespie says the Take Home Naloxone Program is undergoing another expansion.

"Eligible agencies that might be able to receive naloxone for distribution to their clients include community health centres, aid service organizations, shelters, outreach programs and withdrawal management programs so people that are working directly with people who may be at risk of an overdose. This is something we are working diligently on getting ready to go and we're going to have a training session for community partners that fit these criteria on November 30th this year."

The report also took a look at the use of illicit drugs in general. Between 2009 and 2012, 45 percent of Oxford residents reported using an illicit drug, with marijuana being the most common. 11.8 percent of people reported using illicit drugs last year, with pot being the most popular once again.

378 people reported taking advantage of substance use services in Oxford last year, with 462 admissions reported. These services include assessment, treatment planning, case management, community treatment services, residential treatment services, residential treatment services and withdrawal management services.

The county is planning on working on upstream prevention in order to address drug use. This will include reducing stigma and educating the public about the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, which protects drug users from possession charges if they report a drug overdose to emergency services.