The Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit says it's doing what it can when it comes to dealing with opioid use and abuse, but it's bound by provincial regulations.
According to a Health Quality Ontario report released on Wednesday, the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network, which includes Chatham, Windsor and Sarnia, has 18% of its people filling prescriptions for opioids every year, which is the highest among 14 LHIN's in Ontario and above the provincial average of 14%.
Medical Officer of Health Doctor David Colby says there are some initiatives already in place to deal with the growing crisis, like most first responders using medication to reverse opioid overdoses, but more needs to be done.
"The province is considering whether to expand the inter-nasal naloxone to other first responders because right now that's being distributed to the community," says Colby.
The report also shows the total number of opioid prescriptions filled in Ontario continues to rise along with related deaths and addiction.
Colby says education campaigns and supports currently in place are valuable components but the province needs to act quicker.
"Things are moving and once the extent of the problem is better ascertained then we'll be in a better position to determine what the solutions are, we're still in a learning curve," Colby says.
Colby says a provincial strategy may be the answer but it won't be easy.
"This is a very complicated issue and the answers are not the same for every person that you meet. I just know that this is a terrible source of morbidity and mortality in our population, and we have to address this as a society," says Colby.