Newly released numbers from Public Health Sudbury and District (PHSD) show a downward change in the number of opioid related incidents so far this year, according to Greater Sudbury Paramedic Services.
The updated information is posted on the Community Drug Strategy page of the PHSD website.
The numbers revealed that from January to the end of September this year, Sudbury Paramedics responded to 543 suspect opioid-related incidents.
Compared to the same period in the year before, from January to September of 2021, the paramedics responded to 638 suspected opioid-related incidents. This represents a decrease of 14.8 per cent in paramedic calls.
PHSD numbers also revealed that from January to the end of September this year, there were 293 visits to emergency departments in the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts for confirmed opioid overdoses.
For the same period in 2021, there were 475 visits to emergency departments in the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts for confirmed opioid overdoses, said PHSD. This represents a decrease of more than 38 per cent in ER visits
Despite the downward change in opioid emergency room visits, the health unit said local numbers for opioid-related emergency room visits are much higher than the provincial rate. PHSD said the number of local visits represents an annualized rate of 188.8 visits per 100,000 population per year.
PHSD said this is significantly higher than the comparable rate in Ontario overall of 72.8 visits per 100,000 population per year.
The Opioid Surveillance report regarding the number of opioid-related deaths in the local health jurisdiction only shows numbers from January to the end of March this year.
Still, PHSD said in those three months there were 36 local residents who died from an opioid-related overdose.
For the same period in the previous year, January to the end of March in 2021, PHSD said the local death count was 32 individuals. The numbers indicate an 11 per cent increase so far this year.
The health unit also said the 36 deaths reported to the end of March this year represents a mortality rate of 69 per 100,000 population, which PHSD said was "significantly higher" than the overall Ontario rate 17 deaths per 100,000 population.
Len Gillis covers mining and health care for Sudbury.com.
