FAQs
How do I use this website?
This site is your one-stop shop to stay up to date with our Municipal Drug Strategy.
Why are we developing a Community Drug Strategy?
In Chatham-Kent, the opioid crisis is a complex issue with impacts on individuals, families and communities. The hospitalization rates for opioid poisoning are higher in CK than in Ontario.1 Furthermore, opioid-related Emergency Department (ED) visits and opioid poisoning deaths has increased more than 400% in Chatham-Kent from 2016 to 2021, with the largest spike being seen since 2019.2 This corroborates addition national and provincial evidence that COVID-19 has exacerbated the use, and impacts, of drug use.3 Across the country, there was a 91% increase in reported apparent opioid toxicity deaths from April 2020 to March 2022, compared to the two years before (April 2018-March 2020).4 Although CK’s rate of ED visits from January to August 2022 was comparable to the provincial rate, the rate of monthly suspect drug-related deaths is higher than the provincial rate (28.9 vs 14.4 per 100,000, respectively).5 Nine opioid-related deaths were reported in the first quarter of 2022 in CK, which is higher than the provincial rate (8.4 vs 3.4 per 100,000) and among the highest in the province.2,5
Factors that contribute to increases in opioid-related harms include limited access to addiction treatment services, harm reduction services and available social supports, and increases in mental health issues and volatile supply of unregulated opioids and other drugs.3 Additionally, there are multiple existing barriers that make it difficult for people who use drugs to access services and supports, including stigma, geographic access, and systemic inequities.3
A local situational assessment of opioid use and related harms for the region suggested a coordinated approach to substance use in CK with a focus on prevention, building community capacity and supporting people who use opioids.6
A community forum was held in March 2019 where partners engaged in action planning around four priority areas identified through the situational assessment: upstream prevention, crystal methamphetamine, opioid poisonings, and stigma. To move action forward, the report specifically recommended the development of a local substance use strategy. This type of approach has been successful in many other communities across the province.7 To have impact, the local drug strategy must be a coordinated, evidence-based effort among people with lived and living expertise, service providers, and all levels of government. The plan must also be tailored to CK’s unique local needs and context, with ongoing investments and opportunities.2
1. Chatham-Kent Public Health. Opioid Use and Related Harms in Chatham-Kent
2. Chatham-Kent Public Health (2022). Community Health Services Public Health Information Report: Updates to CK Public Health’s Harm Reduction Program.
3. Friesen EL, Kurdyak PA, Gomes T, et al. (2021). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on opioid-related harm in Ontario. Science Briefs of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table. 2021;2(42). https://doi.org/10.47326/ ocsat.2021.02
4. Special Advisory Committee on the Epidemic of Opioid Overdoses. (2022). Opioid and Stimulant-related Harms in Canada. Public Health Agency of Canada. https://health-infobase.canada.ca/substance-related-harms/opioids-stimulants
5. Chatham-Kent Public Health (2022). Opioid Surveillance Report: September 2022
6. Chatham-Kent Public Health (2018). Community Health Services Public Health Information Report: Situational Assessment for Opioid Use and Related Harms in Chatham-Kent
7. City of Brantford (2017). Learning from Ontario’s municipal drug strategies: an implementation framework for reducing harm through coordinated prevention, enforcement, treatment, and housing. Journal of Community Safety and Well Being. 2017; 2(2). https://doi.org/10.35502/jcswb.42
How is the Community Drug Strategy being developed? What are the timelines?
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is working alongside Collective Results, an external consulting firm based out of Guelph, Ontario, in addition to a well-rounded Steering Committee comprised of community partners and people with lived/living expertise to develop our local drug strategy.
The work is being broken down into six different phases.
1) Plan development
2) Community engagement
3) Strategy Development
4) Prioritize action
5) Finalize and approve
6) Take action
How can I or my organization be involved in the Community Drug Strategy?
There will be many opportunities for community members and community partners to be involved in the implementation phase of the Chatham-Kent Community Drug Strategy.
If you would like to become more involved or learn more please contact us at ckphucommunications@chatham-kent.ca