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MEDIA RELEASE
August 31, 2023
First story in health unit series highlights and personalizes the opioid crisis facing local community
Using stories and statistics, the the first segment in the Vital Perspectives series shines a light on one of the biggest public health crises of our time.
The opioid crisis is not a big city problem, and it’s going to take an overhaul of services - and of attitudes - to reverse the current emergency in the Southwestern Public Health region. That’s the message of the first segment in the four-part Vital Perspectives series launched by the local public health unit this week.
“Public health’s role in the pandemic response has dominated headlines and conversations for the past three years. Today we’re pointing the spotlight on the crisis of substance use disorders and the enormous social, physical, and psychological harms they cause individuals, families, and communities,” says Cynthia St. John, CEO of the public health unit serving Oxford County, Elgin County, and the City of St. Thomas. “The opioid crisis - the crisis of overdose deaths and injuries - is not a problem somewhere else. It’s a tragedy right here.”
The local rate of opioid-related emergency department visits began to increase in 2016, rising to almost 1.5x the provincial rate in 2021. The rate of hospitalizations has been higher compared to Ontario every year since 2011; it was roughly 2x the provincial rate in 2021. Finally, the rate of opioid-related deaths has been similar in that it has increased over time. However, the rate of deaths increased more quickly than emergency department visits and hospitalizations, more than doubling between 2019 and 2021, surpassing the provincial rate.
“We hope that by telling local stories, very local stories, we can inspire discussion about what is needed and what is standing in the way of better health for our community,” she continues.
The stories told within the Vital Perspectives series highlight trauma, mental health, gaps in service, wait times and stigma as some of the barriers to better health for people living with addiction.
“The current crisis is incredibly challenging because it requires so many services to come together differently. It requires that we rethink our attitudes about the causes of substance use and addiction. I hope that these stories also show that there is hope, and there is healing – and people can move toward better health with the right supports,” adds St. John.
A 4-minute video, written stories, original photography and infographics about the local opioid crisis can be found at www.swpublichealth.ca/vitalperspectives.
Over the next 19 months, the health unit hopes to release similar stories about climate change and health, community belonging, and health and homelessness.
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About Southwestern Public Health
Southwestern Public Health works with its partners to ensure the health of the whole community. Our programs respond to public health emergencies; promote healthy lifestyles; help prevent injuries, illness, and disease in the community; and promote positive change and social conditions that improve health. Southwestern Public Health delivers mandated programs under the Ontario Public Health Standards and is regulated by the Ontario Health Protection and Promotion Act. The health unit maintains primary locations in Woodstock and St. Thomas. For more information, visit www.swpublichealth.ca.
To Request an Interview:
Megan Cornwell
Communications Manager | Southwestern Public Health
(519) 320-0819 (Mobile)
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