Deaths related to overdose are now the third leading cause of accidental death in Ontario. In Grey Bruce, death and injury have more than doubled from an average of 18 patients attending Owen Sound hospital from 2002-2007 to over 50 a year since 2008.
In conjunction with International Overdose Awareness Day, marked August 31, the Grey Bruce Health Unit is launching a Take-Away Naloxone or TAN Program. As part of public health's Harm Reduction Strategy, the TAN Program provides people who are at risk for opiate overdose with access to life saving education and dispensing of Naloxone, the drug that can reverse an opiate overdose.
In Grey Bruce, death and injury have more than doubled from an average of 18 patients attending Owen Sound hospital from 2002-2007 to over 50 a year since 2008. An alarming increase in the use of the opioid fentanyl and overdose deaths related to fentanyl have sparked new worries about increased risks relating to higher potency and unfamiliarity with certain substances. Fentanyl is a very powerful synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine.
The Grey Bruce Task Force on Crystal Meth and Other Drugs support Drug Overdose Awareness Day as an important opportunity to increase public awareness about drug overdose, to reduce stigma and to equip people to make safe choices. Co-chairs Sandy Stockman and Barb Fedy applaud the decision of the Grey Bruce Health Unit to launch Take-Away Naloxone or TAN Program in support of its Harm Reduction Strategy. The Grey Bruce Task Force on Crystal Meth and Other Drugs is committed to reducing the impact of drug misuse and abuse on individuals, families and communities.
The TAN Program is endorsed and supported by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Similar Harm Reduction Strategies have been successfully operating at many other health units in Ontario and elsewhere throughout North America and Europe.
