Norfolk County received unsettling statistics yesterday at the Board of Health meeting.
The report advised that Haldimand-Norfolk had 19 deaths attributed to opioids, and administered 6,500 doses of naloxone in 2022.
Haldimand-Norfolk is the third highest region in Ontario for the self-reported rate of current alcohol drinking, and the highest region in Ontario for the self-reported rate of consuming seven or more alcoholic drinks in the past seven days.
Haldimand-Norfolk is 55% higher than the provincial average for emergency room visits for cannabis-related poisonings for all ages. Most unsettling is that the region has the largest rate of emergency department visits for cannabis-related poisonings in children under 12 years of age in the province.
What these numbers indicate is that there is a dire need for a Community Drug and Alcohol Strategy here. The report suggests a strategy that focuses on four pillars: prevention, treatment, ham reduction and community safety is required. It recommends that a number of committees be formed, made up of people with lived experience, directors and partners from fields like healthcare, law enforcement and social services.
According to the report a complete Community Drug and Alcohol Strategy could be established as early as mid 2025.
The County invites anyone interested in participating in the Community Drug & Alcohol Strategy or anyone with questions to reach out by email to substanceuse@hnhss.ca
Written by Jeremy Hall