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7 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,January 14,2021 theifp.ca sleep dentistry available New Patients Welcome Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Marketplace dental Centre Georgetown Marketplace Mall 905-877-CARE (2273) • www.georgetowndental.com HOURS: Monday & Wednesday 8:00am - 8:00pm • Tuesday & Thursday 8:00am - 6:00pm • Saturday 8:00am - 3:00pm Proudly Serving Georgetown Since 1994. While COVID-19 contin- ues to dominate headlines, there's another serious is- sue impacting local resi- dents' health and well-be- ing that far predates the pandemic. Preliminary data shows at least 25 Halton residents lost their lives to suspected opioid-related overdoses last year, with over 1,000 deaths being recorded across Canada in the first three months of 2020 alone. According to Public Health Ontario, the pan- demic has only exacerbat- ed the issue, with health experts projecting a 50 per cent increase in opioid-re- lated deaths across the province for 2020 compared to 2019. And Halton politicians are saying enough is enough. Regional council is now calling for a long- term, comprehensive strat- egy to address the opioid crisis in local communities and beyond. The councillors are ask- ing the provincial and fed- eral governments to work with Halton Regional Po- lice, Halton Public Health, first responders and com- munity organizations to formalize the plan, with an emphasis on harm reduc- tion, treatment and pre- vention while maintaining enforcement. Council's efforts come as welcome news to those who've been working to ad- dress the opioid issue in Halton for some time, in- cluding Betty-Lou Kristy. Since losing her 25-year- old son Pete to an acciden- tal opioid overdose in 2001, she has dedicated her life to helping fix gaps in the men- tal health and addictions systems. She's currently part of a provincial COVID-19 table geared to mental health and addictions, where she's sharing her insights as a bereaved mother who's been in recovery for almost two decades from alcohol, multi-drug addictions, trauma and mental health issues. "When you have region- al players and police and the community at a table all working on something, it speaks loud and clear that you (people struggling with addiction) are valued and we need to do some- thing about this," said Kris- ty, who's also the director of Support House's Centre for Innovation in Peer Sup- port, which works locally to integrate peer support services in the mental health and substance use/ addictions system. "If nothing else, it will help break down the stig- ma, bias and discrimina- tion that still to this day surrounds substance use and drug use. Addiction is a health issue -- it's not a lifestyle choice." Kristy's work at the pro- vincial level has made her aware of the millions of dol- lars in funding earmarked to address the issue across Ontario and plans that are in place, such as the 'Road- map to Wellness: A Plan to build Ontario's Mental Health and Addictions Sys- tem' that was launched just before the pandemic began. More locally, she sug- gested the Halton Equita- ble Drug Strategy commit- tee from years ago should reconvene -- a move she feels could quickly help further the region's goal as many of the same commu- nity partners were in- volved. With the pandemic pre- senting additional chal- lenges for those living with addictions, more solutions can't come soon enough for Kristy. "The opioid issue was a huge crisis even before CO- VID-19, and we know the death rates and overdoses that leave harm are out of control right now," she said. "The pandemic has shone a bright light on mental health and sub- stance use issues and where the gaps and inequi- ties are in the system." Halton Regional Police are also all too familiar with the issues surround- ing opioid use, with the lo- cal force responding to over 200 calls related to the drugs between January and November 2020. Dur- ing the same time frame, Halton paramedic services attended 165 calls for sus- pected opioid overdoses, according to a report from Halton Public Health. "The number of over- doses in a concern for us," said Det. Sgt. Barrett Ga- briel of the Halton Police Drugs and Morality Unit, noting he appreciates that the region's motion formal- izes what police have been doing for quite some time. "We would like to stop any increase and work with our partners to ad- dress this and see how we can decrease the trend na- tionally. It's a very complex problem, and there is no one easy solution." While targeting illegal substances through en- forcement is a big part of the job for local police, Ga- briel said there's also a sig- nificant education compo- nent for those using drugs. "We understand people are going to use, but over- doses are preventable," said Gabriel, adding Hal- ton police have been carry- ing naloxone to reverse the effects of an opioid over- dose since 2018. "We're try- ing to encourage people to not use alone, which is im- pacted by COVID-19 and so- cial distancing." Police also promote the "don't run, call 911" cam- paign, which encourages those who see someone in distress from a potential overdose to contact emer- gency services, with the Good Samaritans Act offer- ing some protections for those who make the call. "We're not looking to persecute people who are using -- we're looking to save lives if they're in trou- ble," he said. Back at the regional council table, the local poli- ticians stressed the seri- ousness of the issue and ur- gency of addressing it. Likewise, the Associa- tion of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) has made a variety of recommenda- tions to the province on ad- dressing the opioid over- dose emergency, said Mil- ton Coun. and AMO board of directors member Colin Best. "I've heard from a num- ber of mayors and council- lors in other municipalities stating that opioid addic- tions are causing serious problems in their commu- nities in health, crime and the diversion of scarce emergency services to keep up with this crisis," he said. "This is an important physical and mental health issue affecting not only in- dividuals, but also their families, first responders, hospitals and other facili- ties." STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With the pandemic only making the opioid crisis worse across the country, we wanted to take a closer look at what's being done in Halton to address the serious issue. NEWS 'ADDICTION IS A HEALTH ISSUE -- IT'S NOT A LIFESTYLE CHOICE' Opioid-related deaths are on the rise across the province, according to Public Health Ontario. Metroland file photo HALTON COUNCILLORS WANT OPIOID OVERDOSE CRISIS ADDRESSED NOW MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@metro- land.com While we are currently only open for urgent eye care, we are getting prepared for a full re-opening of our offices as soon as health officials will allow.We wish to assure all our current and new patients that strong safety measures will be in place when we do open. Hope to see you soon and stay safe! We are open but due to the current virus situation we have to limit the number of people in our office. If you are planning a visit (for routine eye examinations, eyewear purchase and repair, contact lens pick up etc), please contact us in advance and we will arrange an appointment time for you. This will prevent overcrowding and keep everyone safe!