Public health warns about local spike in overdoses

PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES

is raising the alarm about a spike in opioid overdoses and reports of fentanyl-laced methamphetamine in Hamilton.

The first 10 days of September saw the number of paramedic calls for opioid-poisoning roughly triple.

At the same time, public health is warning that crystal meth mixed with fentanyl is circulating in the community.

“Overdoses can occur even among users who don’t think they are using opioids,” cautioned city public health physician Dr. Laura Bourns.

“We are seeing overdoses in people using different types of drugs now.”

It is unknown if the surge is the new normal in an increasing epidemic or the result of a particularly toxic batch of drugs.

“In the era of bootleg fentanyls, overdoses happen in clusters,” Michael Parkinson, who works with the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council

and the Municipal Drug Strategy Coordinators Network of Ontario said.

“That’s the phenomena and that’s what we’ve been advising about for several years now, often on deaf ears.”

In the first 10 days of September, paramedics responded to opioid-poisoning calls 29 times. By comparison, there were 40 such calls in all of August.

“Given the potency and the increased usage we see, it has definitely raised the alert and concern level of paramedics,” said Mario Posteraro, president of Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 256.

In response, public health is increasing access to naloxone kits, by increasing the number of hours to the van needle syringe program which hands them out.

Parkinson said overdoses could decrease once the deadly batch of drugs is no longer circulating — but only if that is the cause.

“Maybe this is the new normal for Hamilton and area,” he said.

“Good on public health for taking the time to identify it and alert service providers. It makes you unusual in Canada.”

The public health alert comes during the same week a national report flagged Hamilton as having some of the highest rates in Ontario for opioid-poisoning hospitalizations and emergency room visits.

At least once a day an opioid user was taken to an emergency department in Hamilton from April 1 2016 to March 31, 2017, reported the Canadian Institute for Health Information on Thursday.

Emergency room visits jumped to nearly three a day at the beginning of September.

In total, Hamilton paramedics have responded to 264 calls related to opioid overdoses since Jan 10.

“The use of these products has really become a game changer and put paramedics on red alert when they respond to any type of call that might hint at an overdose,” Posteraro said.

Paramedics have to worry about their own safety, as well as the patient, because some opioids are so powerful that touching them or inhaling even a tiny amount can cause an overdose.

“That’s created a bit of a fear,” Posteraro said.

“It’s like a double jeopardy. You are trying to treat the patient and you may become the patient.”

More reliable and detailed data on opioidpoisoning is desperately needed, so public health and Hamilton Paramedic Services are working with Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph’s Healthcare to get it.

Parkinson says the $222 million the province has earmarked over the next three years is not nearly enough and is coming too late.

“It’s absolutely frustrating to watch a crisis unfold before your eyes and have no resources available to mitigate that crisis,” he said. “It’s not the way we respond to other public health emergencies. “People are burnt out.” There is currently no information about how many people have died of opioid overdoses in Hamilton in 2017. Last year saw an all-time high of 52 deaths. So far, 1,027 naloxone kits have been distributed by public health this year, resulting in at least 253 people being revived.