Community alert issued after 29 opioid overdoses reported locally

Oxycodone is the generic name for a range of opoid pain killing tablets. Prescription bottle for Oxycodone tablets and pills on wooden table for opioid epidemic illustration

Another community alert has been issued following a high number of opioid overdoses locally.

This is the second alert issued in less than a week after a notice was put out to the public on July 3.

According to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU), the Opioid and Substance Use Notification System (OSUNS) identified an elevated number of opioid overdoses between June 28 and July 4.

In total, there were 29 opioid overdoses reported among local emergency department visits, 19 of which involved fentanyl.

This alert comes after six suspected drug-related deaths and 18 opioid overdoses were identified between June 21 and June 27.

Partners involved in the Windsor-Essex Community Opioid and Substance Strategy, including 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.