Sault Ste. Marie has fallen from its position as the province's leader in opioid-related death rates, overtaken by health units that have closed or are closing their supervised consumption sites. While Algoma Public Health saw a decrease in its death rate, Thunder Bay experienced a significant increase. The Ontario government's decision to close several supervised consumption sites and transition them into HART hubs raises concerns about the impact on opioid overdose rates.
Sault Ste. Marie has relinquished its former position as the province's leader in opioid-related death rates. This unfortunate shift has been precipitated by several health units, notably those who have closed or are slated to close their supervised consumption sites , in recent times. The Office of the Chief Coroner unveiled opioid mortality statistics for the third quarter of 2024 on Tuesday, encompassing the months of July, August, and September.
While the Algoma Public Health unit had held the top spot in opioid mortality for several consecutive quarters, the latest data reveals a notable change. Algoma Public Health now sits in fifth place, overtaken by Thunder Bay Health, Timiskaming Health, Northwestern Health, Porcupine Health, and the Sudbury and District Health Unit. For Algoma, the death rate in Q3 was recorded at just over seven per 100,000, a decline from nearly 10 per 100,000 in the preceding quarter. A similar trend of decreased death rates was observed in most other northern Ontario communities during the same period. However, Thunder Bay experienced an alarming increase, surging from 13 per 100,000 in Q2 to 18 per 100,000 in Q3 – a near 40 percent jump. Safe Health Site Timmins, situated within the Porcupine Public Health unit, closed its doors on July 1, 2024. The Spot, Sudbury’s sole sanctioned supervised consumption site, shut down in March of last year. Path 525 in Thunder Bay is scheduled to close its supervised consumption space next month, following an order from the Ontario PC government. It has been selected as one of nine safe drug consumption sites that will be transformed into a Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hub. Sault Ste. Marie has also been earmarked for a HART hub, following an announcement last month by outgoing MPP Ross Romano. Examining municipality-specific statistics, rather than health unit data, reveals that Sault Ste. Marie currently holds the third position in the province for opioid mortality rate in Q3, trailing behind Thunder Bay and Timmins. Data from the chief coroner indicates that 30 individuals lost their lives due to opioid toxicity between January and September of 2024. Fentanyl continues to be the primary driver of opioid toxicity deaths, accounting for over 85 percent of fatalities since 2023
Opioid Crisis Fentanyl Supervised Consumption Sites Opioid Mortality HART Hubs
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