The Grey Bruce Task Force on Crystal Meth is expanding its mandate and changing its name.
The new name is Community Drug and Alcohol Strategy.
In Grey and Bruce counties, emergency room visits related to substance use jumped 65% between 2002 and 2015.
Alcohol was involved in the majority of cases, followed by opioid use.
Healthcare data doesn't often show the cycle of addiction such as chronic pain, mental health problems, trauma, and a lack of safe housing.
The group is sending delegations to municipal councils across Grey-Bruce, and also plan to take their message to the county level, beginning with a trip to Grey County Council on December 14. A deputation will also visit Bruce County Council on January 4.
In the new year, community consultations across Bruce and Grey counties will be held to help the group develop shared priorities for addressing substance-related harms locally.
"Stigma plays a big part in preventing people from getting the support they need, both at the individual level and at the policy level. As a community, we need to be aware that substance misuse is a complex health issue, not a moral one,” says David Roy, co-chair of the Community Drug and Alcohol Strategy and program director of Addiction Services at HopeGreyBruce.