'We have a crisis,' Health units sound alarm amid surge in opioid poisonings, including deaths

Local health units are sounding the alarm after a surge in opioid-related poisonings.

Grey Bruce Public Health (GBPH) reported six opioid-related overdoses over six days last week, two of which claimed the lives of a 40-year-old and a 20-year-old.

"We're actually one of six health units that have issued an alert already in February," said Monica Blair, the Harm Reduction program manager with GBPH. "It's definitely a serious issue."

Five overdoses occurred in Owen Sound, while another happened near Georgian Bluffs.

Blair has reportedly seen over 15 total suspected opioid overdoses since the beginning of January. "We have seen some pretty toxic sedative medications added into the street supply."

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The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is also noticing the trend, with 31 suspected opioid poisonings last week, four of which were lethal.

Prevention Program nurse Cathy Eisener says they have seen those numbers increase weekly.

"I talked to folks that have used a quarter of what they would usually use and still experience a poisoning event," Eisener explained.

Eisener adds that opioids remain highly relied upon despite the toxic and unpredictable nature of their supply. "What we learned is they don't only address physical pain, they also address emotional pain."

Valerie Grdisa, the CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) branch in Simcoe County, compares opioid addiction to nicotine addiction.

"Your brain starts to crave it; it likes it," Grdisa explained. "Then you actually develop a need to have that substance, and you're addicted to it.

"In less than 18 years, 20,000 Ontarians have died [from overdose]," added Grdisa. "We have a crisis here."

In terms of reacting to an overdose event and preventing them altogether, Blair says more community awareness must be raised. "So everyone can recognize an opioid overdose and know how to respond with naloxone and call 911 as needed."

Grdisa urged for more preventative measures. "We have to address the social determinants of health," she stated. "We have to all come together and address the needs of these individuals and get them the right services in the right place."

The CMHA is urging the province to approve more consumption and treatment service sites, including the proposed site on Innisfil Street in Barrie. But Grdisa said they had not heard a response from the government since 2022, when they first requested to open it.