While most of us are focusing on one pandemic right now, there’s another dangerous threat that is no less frightening.
Opioid use and abuse should also be considered a pandemic, many health and law-enforcement officials say.
And while this pandemic isn’t receiving the same amount of media coverage or government dollars, its scourge continues to affect a wide swath of the nation’s population.
On Thursday, this month’s Our Health series will delve into the opioid crisis in detail by hearing from a public-health nurse,, a mother, an emergency room physician and an officer with the OPP's organized crime enforcement bureau as they describe the devastating impact opioids has had on their lives and on society.
While the efforts of the Simcoe Muskoka Opioid Strategy (SMOS) to address the opioid crisis have been somewhat interrupted by COVID-19, critical work continues amidst a worsening local situation.
“The pandemic may have pushed the opioid crisis out of the spotlight, but the crisis and the burden associated with it has not gone away; in fact, COVID-19 has made a difficult situation even more challenging,” Dr. Lisa Simon, associate medical officer of health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, and chair of the SMOS Steering Committee, explained recently.
“Opioid use, addiction and overdose is an urgent and complex problem in our region and the work of SMOS continues to be a high priority as we work towards reducing the harms of opioids in our communities.”
Preliminary data shows that there were 83 confirmed and probable opioid-related deaths in Simcoe Muskoka for the first eight months of 2020, which was 51 per cent higher than the average of 55 deaths from January to August for the previous three years. SMOS partner agencies have also identified an increase in overdoses among clients.
Thursday's panel discussion will be broadcast live beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Rogers TV on all of the network’s Simcoe County channels, including channel 53 in Midland.
For those with smartphones, tablets or computers with a Wi-Fi connection, you can view online at www.rogerstv.com/midland. The link works from anywhere in the world and does not require a Rogers subscription to access.
Special funding to make the Midland event possible has been provided by the OPP Association (OPPA); Barrie Police Senior Officers’ Association; Barrie Police Association; OPPA branch 18 Orillia; OPPA branch 7 and the OPP Veterans Association chapter 18 Orillia.
Like previous Our Health offerings, the question and answer session with panelists will occur in the last 30 minutes of the program. To submit a question, email [email protected].
