In the past month, the Sudbury health unit has issued no less than three new drug warnings to say that there are increasing reports of the number of overdoses -- drug poisonings -- taking place in the local jurisdiction.
And while the warnings might seem like a rehash of old news, it is really anything but said public health nurse Sam Mortimer, a member of the Mental Health and Substance Use Team at Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD).
Mortimer said the key reason for sending out the new warnings is to keep the message top-of-mind for the front line workers and for the people with addictions; the message being there are more and more incidents of poison (illicit drugs) being distributed at the street level and more cases of people overdosing; far too many to ignore.
She said putting the warnings out there through word of mouth is vital.
"And really the important piece with sending these out and having healthcare providers and frontline service workers like harm reduction, workers, get the notices and have communication with us because then that sparks those conversations with people who use drugs, on the front lines as they're accessing services," said Mortimer.
She said the health unit works closely with front line workers to try to do some detective work on what the actual illegal substance looked like, what colour it was, how it was presented and what were symptoms leading up to the overdose. She said that sort of information is important.
"And so that information also informs healthcare providers, and harm reduction workers when they're responding to overdoses. So they know kind of what to look out for. And if maybe there are symptoms that are not typical for an opioid overdose, but more typical for a benzodiazepine or an animal tranquilizer overdose, and that they would have to adjust their response to that," she said.
Mortimer said the numerous warnings are a tangible indicator of how toxic the street drugs have become.
"So I do know that there's been a lot that have gone out in the last several months. And that's just kind of boiled down to just how toxic and unregulated the supply is here and how unpredictable it is," she said.
"So when we get updates and notifications about an increase in overdoses or an increase in severe reactions, and you know, as part of our mandate and part of health protection, we issue alerts and warnings," she added.
Mortimer said she believes the world of mouth concept is valuable because it also gives front line workers a chance to educate substance users about the dangers of newer and unknown substances that show up.
"So we can continue to promote harm reduction messaging -- stuff like not using alone, accessing the supervised consumption site while it's open, getting Naloxone, using the buddy system or you know, the virtual overdose response services that exist. So there are things that we have to continue to put in place and those pieces of education go out with every single warning," said Mortimer.
Mortimer said the increase in drug warnings is a realistic indication of how dire the addiction problem is in Sudbury. She said recent announcements such as the closing of the SACY office (Sudbury Action Centre for Youth) followed by the lack of funding for the supervised consumption site, is concerning.
"Gaps are being created and we have incredible partners who work, you know, day in and day out on the frontlines and are working to fill those gaps. And we're continuing to meet with partners and discuss solutions, and move forward with solutions to try and fill those gaps that exist because of these closures."
Regardless, Mortimer said the battle against the drug crisis in Sudbury will continue.
"It doesn't make it any easier, though, for people who use drugs that are now losing services, right? So I do want to stress that we're working as hard as we can to fill those gaps and try and keep people safe and keep people healthy."
Len Gillis covers health care as well as the mining industry for Sudbury.com .
