The Middlesex-London Health Unit will receive $250,000 in funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care as part of the province’s $15 million effort to address the current opioid crisis. The provincial funding was announced by Health Minister, Dr. Eric Hoskins, and is being distributed among Ontario’s 36 public health units to support efforts to address opioid abuse and prevent overdoses.

The Health Unit declared a local public health emergency a year ago, when it found that HIV rates in Middlesex-London were climbing in contrast to provincial rates which were on the decline; it was also found that local hepatitis C rates were increasing. In both cases the increases were among the population of people who inject drugs. The issue of injection drug use in London is of growing concern, with more than 2.5 million needles distributed to drug users each year. The number of drug overdoses is also alarming. On June 12th, the London Police Service took the rare step of issuing a warning about the risks of drugs, particularly opioids after eight overdoses were reported over one weekend.

“This new funding will create opportunities for some important local innovation. We need to think out of the box, and find solutions that don’t exist yet in London and Middlesex. We are hoping that partners will join us in using a social innovation approach to tackle opioid abuse in this region,” says Dr. Chris Mackie, Medical Officer of Health and CEO with the Middlesex-London Health Unit. “Last year, our Board of Health endorsed and funded the creation of a street-level outreach team that has been actively working in our city to engage with people who inject drugs where they are, and to provide the kind of support they need on the ground.”

In addition to providing funding to increase the Health Unit’s staff capacity to address and combat the opioid crisis, the provincial announcement will also enable the MLHU to enhance its Naloxone Program, with a goal of making the potentially life-saving kits available more widely than they currently are.

“We’re already at work on having naloxone kits available at pharmacies for families and friends of those who are addicted to these powerful drugs, but we need to cast a wider net. Naloxone saves lives – we are seeing it work here. It needs to be in first aid kits and anywhere there’s an Automatic External Defibrilator,” added Mackie.

At its April 2017 Board of Health meeting, Health Unit staff presented a report outlining rising rates of HIV, hepatitis C and other diseases among those who inject drugs, and considered the development and implementation of strategies to address the growing crisis.

To read more about the report, visit: https://www.healthunit.com/april-20-2017-agenda and click on agenda item 4.

Media Contact:
Dan Flaherty, Communications Manager, Middlesex-London Health Unit
519-663-5317 ext. 2469 or 519-617-0570 (cell.)

Spokesperson:
Chris Mackie, Medical Officer of Health and CEO, Middlesex-London Health Unit