TIMISKAMING - New lifesaving technology is stepping in to help paramedics administer CPR.
Pierre Poulin, deputy chief for the District of Timiskaming Social Services Administration Board (DTSSAB) EMS, shared how they’re addressing the opioid crisis. Poulin highlighted both technological advancements and public education efforts.
“As paramedics we’re always there, or very frequently are there first in dealing with these patients and trying to help them as best as we can and continuing the care with the hospitals,” Poulin said.
“I think just keeping this topic at the forefront of the news is important to try to get rid of the pandemic, really, is what it is. I mean, it's quite a crisis that we have on our hands, and it is affecting everybody from every lifestyle and every socioeconomic situation.”
At the Kirkland Lake International Overdose Awareness Day in August, DTSSAB EMS showcased some of its life-saving equipment.
One of the highlights is a Stryker LUCAS device, a CPR system designed to provide continuous, high-quality chest compressions during emergencies.
"The emphasis on CPR is continuous, good-quality CPR. Research shows that after about two minutes, rescuers can become fatigued, reducing the effectiveness of compressions,” Poulin said.
“Anybody that's got an overdose, there's a good potential for resuscitation. So these machines are a great benefit for the patient and the paramedics, and allow for efficient, nonstop CPR.”
The machine ensures consistent compressions, allowing paramedics to focus on other critical tasks such as ventilation or medication administration.
It was introduced to some of DTSSAB fleets in late 2022 and was in all of them by 2023.
According to the Ontario Coroner data on overdose deaths, from January to July, there have been 2,155 suspected opioid-related deaths in Ontario. During the same time period in 2023, there were 2,278.
Between January and April of this year, there have been five confirmed and probable opioid-related deaths in the Timiskaming Health Unit (THU) region, 20 in the Porcupine Health Unit (PHU) region and 13 in the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit region.
In the same timeframe last year, there were four in the THU region, 11 in the PHU region and 16 in the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit region.
Poulin noted that accurately identifying overdose cases can be challenging due to discrepancies in dispatch information. For example, a call for shortness of breath might later be identified as an overdose. So, the actual number of overdose incidents might be higher.
“It’s pretty frequent we find that patients are suffering with opiate addictions and overdoses,” he said.
Public education, said Poulin, is important in combating misinformation and stigma surrounding addiction.
“If we want to try to get rid of the misinformation that some people have out there about overdoses and addictions, we need to keep educating the public,” he said.
Suffering from a mental health injury or illness or an addiction problem can be just as important as suffering from lung cancer, Poulin said.
“Nobody chooses to be addicted to medications or to have mental health injuries or illnesses,” he said.
“It’s crucial we work as a community to get rid of those stigmas and educate the public and push the governments to increase funding and increase safe injection sites or safe injection exchange programs, that kind of stuff.”
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Kirkland Lake Coun. Rick Owen also talked about the issue at the Sept. 3 council meeting.
Owen, who has personal experience with addiction, expressed disappointment over recent government decisions to close safe injection sites.
Safe Health Site Timmins (SHST) permanently closed in August, though it had stopped offering supervised consumption services. While it had federal approval for a permanent facility, it never received provincial funding.
SEE: Safe Health Site Timmins facility fully closed
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Shortly after the doors to SHST shuttered, Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced a new direction.
The province is creating 19 Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs. The provincial goal is to have the HART hubs open in the winter of 2025.
Earlier this week, the Cochrane District Services Board (CDSB) announced it’s acquiring the Ramada Inn located at 1800 Riverside Dr. in the west end of Timmins to create the Timmins and Area Wellness Centre of Excellence (WCE) - Health Hub.
The goal is to create a centralized service hub offering mental health and addiction treatment services and transitional housing support.
SEE: CDSB buying Timmins hotel for proposed wellness centre
Owen said he was at Kirkland Lake’s Overdose Awareness Day event.
“It’s no secret that I’ve had my own struggles with addiction. So, it's important to me to support others and support families of people who've lost family members,” he said, fighting back tears.
“I'm sorry. Sometimes it just overtakes me, because I see where I could have been.”