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Data shows opioid use, deaths, higher in Algoma than rest of Ontario

Community agencies will be allowed to dispense naloxone to opioid users, Algoma Public Health says
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Algoma Public Health file photo

Data obtained by Algoma Public Health (APH) from Public Health Ontario shows the opioid-related death rate in Algoma is higher than that for Ontario. APH sees these higher rates especially in young and working-age men.

To address that, APH plans to increase the availability of naloxone (also known as Narcan), which is used as an injection or nasal spray to block the effects of opioid overdose in an opioid user.

A higher proportion of Algoma residents are at risk for opioid-related harms. In 2016, one in six Algoma residents was prescribed an opioid, compared to one in seven in Ontario, the APH Board of Health was told at its first monthly meeting of 2018 Wednesday. 

More community agencies will be coming on board distributing naloxone kits in addition to local pharmacies which already dispense the medication.

“We’re actually right now in the thick of speaking with agencies. Many of our local community agencies know this is a problem,” said Dr. Jennifer Loo, APH associate medical officer of health, speaking to SooToday after the open portion of Wednesday’s meeting.

“We are expanding the availability of naloxone. We distribute it ourselves here at the health unit and at our district offices, and we know that pharmacies distribute it. Now community agencies will be able to take on that work. Who it’s going to be, the next month or two will determine that,” Loo said.

“Right now we’re in talks with everyone, to say ‘here’s what’s involved, here are  policies you need, here’s the training your staff will need to go about this work,’ so that those agencies understand what it is they’re taking on.”

Loo did not disclose which agencies have been approached by APH about distributing naloxone.

Loo also said opioid overdose prevention slogans such as ‘carry naloxone’ or ‘don’t use alone’ will soon be made more visible, possibly through posters on billboards and/or through media ads.

APH also plans to reinforce an approach of compassion when working with people addicted to opioids.

“It’s not something we should stigmatize or judge. In actual fact, it is a health issue, something that’s affecting our young men in particular. So drawing attention to these statistics is to really help the community understand it’s a community health problem, and the solutions to that are health interventions,” said Dr. Marlene Spruyt, APH medical officer of health and CEO, speaking to the board of health.

As for why northerners are prescribed opioids more often than others in Ontario, Spruyt said APH has no control over prescription of medications in doctors offices, and suggested “when you live in a rural area and you have chronic pain and there’s no access to physiotherapy or other modalities that might support chronic pain, it’s a whole lot easier for the only prescribing physician in town to quickly get you out of his office by writing you an opioid prescription.”

“That’s thought to be some of the background behind it,” Spruyt said.

“There are a lot of reasons people would use an illicit drug (on a recreational basis),” Loo said.

“Sometimes it’s curiosity and that’s common in adolescents. You’re trying things and pushing boundaries, that’s one reason why people use.”

“Other reasons are because they are coping and self-medicating, whether it’s because of physical pain or trauma or mental health issues, we know all of those things are associated with use,” Loo said.

“Is it because we (in Algoma) have more curiosity (about experimentation with drugs), is it because we have more mental health issues, is it because we have more pain, is it a complex mix of all of those things?’ Loo said, agreeing it could also be a result of higher unemployment, lower education and poverty in the north, and the sense of hopelessness that goes with those factors that leads to drug abuse.

“We know use of these substances is higher (in Algoma) according to the survey data, and as we get more information, we try and dig deeper into the ‘why?’” Loo said.



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Darren Taylor

About the Author: Darren Taylor

Darren Taylor is a news reporter and photographer in Sault Ste Marie. He regularly covers community events, political announcements and numerous board meetings. With a background in broadcast journalism, Darren has worked in the media since 1996.
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