Grey Bruce Public Health is renewing their plea for people who use drugs to do so safely, after receiving a report of a suspected fatal drug overdose in Owen Sound.
Officials say the victim was in their mid-30s. GBHU says the age-specific mortality rate for opioid overdose is the highest in this age group, as per local and provincial data.
This is the first fatal overdose this month. However, GBHU has issued three Opioid Alerts in August, each following a series of overdoses within a short timeframe.
“We are saddened by the news of this fatal drug overdose in Grey-Bruce and deeply concerned about all aspects and complexities of the opioid crisis,” says GBHU Physician Consultant Dr. Rim Zayed.
“We are closely monitoring the circumstances surrounding this overdose and local data and trends as we continue to respond to the opioid and substance poisoning epidemic, which is a high priority issue for Public Health. GBHU is committed to collaborating with a wide range of partners and stakeholders on this issue and considers all relevant information with community members with lived and living experience. This epidemic is a crisis that requires commitment and engagement from everyone and every sector in the community either as community members or experts in the field.”
Public Health encourages residents to get overdose prevention training and carry a Naloxone kit.