The Grey Bruce Health Unit is advising safety following another fatal overdose.
The GBHU says they were notified of a suspected fatal overdose in the area after a person in their 50s was pronounced deceased on Nov. 2. The deceased had been mixing opioids with alcohol.
The health unit adds this is the third suspected fatal drug overdose reported in the last three months.
GBHU Physician Consultant Dr. Rim Zayed says they are deeply saddened to learn of another fatal drug overdose in the region.
“We will continue to work diligently with out partners to educate and support individuals, families, and communities to prevent opioid and illicit drug poisoning. Opioid overdose deaths continue to be a major public health concern, but they are preventable,” says Zayed.
The health unit is urging people who use unregulated street drugs to deem them highly toxic and fatal, as well as practice harm reduction measures.
“We implore everyone who uses street drugs to take extra precautions, like always carrying a naloxone kit, not mixing substances – as this increases the risk of overdose – and starting with a low dose and increasing slowly,” says Zayed.
Naloxone and safe drug-use kits are available on the health unit from Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The health unit is advising if you are using alone, call the overdose prevention line at 1-888-688-6677 and an operator will stay on the line while the drug is being used. If the caller is unresponsive, the operator will call 911 to ensure help arrives.
In the event of an emergency, call 911 as the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act provides protection from simple possession charges.
More details can be found on the health unit website here.
