The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is considering a rapid access addiction medicine (RAAM) clinic for people who are addicted to opioids.
An emergency meeting was held on Tuesday to discuss the four overdose-related deaths that occurred in Windsor this past weekend and to prevent these types of tragedies in the future.
The health unit is also contemplating a safe injection/consumption site to help prevent overdose deaths.
"The community needs to determine short-term measures in order to save lives and long-term strategies to reduce or break the cycle of addiction, including the reintegration of people back into the community," said Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wajid Ahmed.
Residents are encouraged to share their concerns and opinions about safe injection/consumption sites in our community. The survey can be accessed at www.wechu.org/sis. Health unit officials added that no decisions have been made about a safe injection/consumption site in Windsor-Essex.
They said timely data sharing is also needed between all relevant parties for a more coordinated response to overdose-related events in the community.
The health unit added it recognizes that drug use is a complex problem and requires multi-sectoral collaboration across all areas of drug control, including prevention and education, harm reduction, treatment and rehabilitation, and enforcement.