Toronto Public Health releases action plan to address overdose crisis

Toronto: Public health officials have released several recommendations to address overdose deaths in the city ahead of next week’s Toronto Board of Health meeting.
Toronto Public Health’s ‘Overdose Action Plan’ outlines dozens of ways all levels of government can help to lower the number of overdose deaths in the city, including providing training and support to city and community agencies when developing overdose prevention protocols and developing “real-time” overdose surveillance and monitoring systems.
The city says Toronto has experienced a 73 per cent increase in reported overdose deaths over the last decade.
“Drug overdoses are an urgent public health issue that is having a devastating impact on individuals, families and communities,” Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Toronto’s Acting Medical Officer of Health, said in a written statement released Monday.
“Our Overdose Action Plan builds on the work already underway in our community, identifies new areas for action at the local level and recommends actions for the provincial and federal governments.”
The report says services in the community should have “an overdose prevention and response plan as part of their emergency first aid protocols” and asks that the previously approved supervised injection site at Toronto Public Health/ The Works be opened “as soon as possible” after receiving provincial funding and federal approval.
The report also says that Toronto Public Health will look into the possibility of providing injectable diacetylmorphine, also known as prescription heroin, and/ or hydromorphone as “opioid substitution treatment options through the Methadone Works program.”
The ‘Overdose Action Plan’ will be presented at the Toronto Board of Health meeting on March 20.