York Region continues to see the lowest per-capita death rates for opioids in the province, but authorities are still working to renew efforts against the crisis.
Although opioid deaths in the province have trended upwards, York Region had the lowest per capita death rate of any provincial public health unit area in the first quarter of this year, according to a July update from the Office of the Chief Coroner. It had an average rate of below two per 100,000 people, compared to a provincial average of 4.2.
It is something the region has maintained over the past two years. York’s associate medical officer of health Dr. Richard Gould said there is no certainty for the reason.
“We really don’t know for sure,” he said, adding that opioid trends remain a concern despite York’s comparatively lower rates. “We are seeing a slight overall increase over time with hospitalizations and death.”
Over the entire province, the mortality rate of opioid toxicity in 2021 was 19.5 per 100,000, more than double the rate in 2018 (9.1). The majority of deaths (96 per cent) were accidental, according to the chief coroner. However, the preliminary rate has decreased by 10 per cent in the first quarter of 2022 compared to 2021.
The impact of the pandemic may have had a hand in that, Gould said, with more isolation. He added that the emergency room visits are also up.
“In some ways, that’s a good thing. If you get to an ER and are being assessed for opioid issues, you haven’t died of an overdose,” he said. “COVID has contributed to some of the stresses of the problems in terms of the risk of using opioids in the past couple of years, but there’s lots of other trends going on.”
York Region implemented an opioid action plan in 2019, with public health and York Regional Police leading the way. The plan uses a four-pillar approach: prevention, harm reduction, treatment and first response and enforcement.
York Regional Police Det. Sgt. Meredith Woodland, a member of the opioid response working group, said it will take more time to understand the difference between York Region and its neighbours on per-capita deaths, but opioids remain a problem they want to address.
“Even if we have one overdose, that’s one too many,” she said. “We have worked collaboratively to try to get some programs in place.”
That includes a new naloxone program implemented this year in Newmarket, where officers can distribute free kits, available on request. Woodland said they hope to expand that to all districts within a year.
Gould said the kits are available through other partners like pharmacies, with harm reduction supplies also available.
At issue right now is an increasingly toxic drug supply, which Gould said is putting more at risk. He said there are several conversations around the province to address that, such as through decriminalization or more safe supply programs.
York Region Public Health and police are planning to refresh their action plan, with discussions to review and evaluate expected for the fall.
Gould said there are still approximately 60 opioid deaths per year in York Region.
“We want to bring that back down. That is a tragedy that affects individuals, family, friends. We don’t want to be complacent,” he said.
“Although our numbers aren’t as high as Toronto, the reality of it is we do have cases of opioid overdoses,” Woodland said. “Just because our numbers aren't high doesn’t mean we don’t need to focus on the issue.”
