It was a busy 24 hours for staff in the Barrie hospital's emergency department.
According to Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit officials, there were eight ER visits for suspected drug poisonings at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) between mid-afternoon of Tuesday, April 30 and 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 1.
The health unit monitors the weekly acute care enhanced surveillance system (ACES) data for all hospitals across the region, explained Mia Brown, who is the program manager for the substance use and injury prevention program with the Community and Family Health Department
“At this time, our region has a current baseline average of 26 emergency department visits per week for suspected overdoses," Brown explained. "When there is a higher-than-expected volume of suspected overdoses in a 24-hour period in any of the emergency departments, our systems are alerted.
“We typically observe anywhere from zero to two suspected overdose related emergency department visits a day at any given hospital in Simcoe-Muskoka," she added.
The substance causing the increase is suspected to be fentanyl and/or fentanyl analogues, which Brown described as being unregulated substances that are similar in their chemical components to fentanyl and can vary in potency.
Those drugs are being combined with animal tranquilizers and or benzodiazepines, she said, however without drug checking, public health officials can only speculate on the substances in the local unregulated supply.
Naloxone, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose if given quickly, is only effective for the opioid substances within the unregulated drug supply, said Brown.
“It is incredibly important to remember that we are not talking about numbers; we are talking about people, people with family, friends and communities who love and care about them," she said.
Health officials are advising people to:
- Carry Naloxone and know how to use it
- Use with a friend or a partner who can respond with Naloxone if needed
- Use in a safe space with people you trust
- If alone, use the National Overdose Response line if possible at 1-888-688-6677
- Start low with a test dose and increase slowly
- Try to use only one substance at a time
- In the event of an overdose call 911.
