Timiskaming Health Unit unveils opioid dashboard
The Timiskaming Health Unit is rolling out an opioid surveillance dashboard to help inform the community about the opioid situation in the district.
It’s a way to share with the public the harmful substances that are in the area. The opioid surveillance dashboard is a part of the local health unit’s opioid response plan.
“It provides a broader picture of the opioid situation in the district,” said Kim Parker, of the Timiskaming Health Unit.
“Anyone can access that data -- community members, community partners, different agencies. It’s available to inform and update everyone on the current situation.”
Parker said harmful substances are circulating in the community and people must be made aware.
“It’s difficult to identify trends in our area because of our small situation but we are certainly not immune to the problem,” she said.
“Rates of opioid use and opioid deaths are rising across the province and the country and certainly the same case in our area.”
The information on the dashboard is gathered from provincial sources, local emergency services, partner agencies and tips from the community.
BIG PICTURE
“All of that informs us with a big picture of what’s going on,” Parker said.
“We want the message to get out, but we also want the information to be available to those who use drugs, so they can make an informed decision and take precaution when needed and reduce their risk of overdose and poisonings.”
Parker said the health unit’s drug and alcohol strategy team is also working on ways on reducing harmful drugs and substances that are in the community.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
Singapore Airlines flight hits severe turbulence; 1 passenger dead, 7 critically injured
One passenger was killed and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI flight from London hit severe turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said.
WATCH Why today's inflation numbers are good if you have a mortgage
New inflation data is 'welcome news' for consumers and an economist says it could signal the possibility for a interest rate cut as several core measures also continue to ease.
Conservatives kick off return to House with new call for Speaker Greg Fergus to resign
Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives returned to the House of Commons on Tuesday with a renewed call for Speaker Greg Fergus to resign, this time over 'very partisan' and 'inflammatory' language used to promote an upcoming event.
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'blatantly false,' director offers to screen it for him
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Feels like mid-30s in parts of Canada, while other areas expecting snow
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
Nestle to sell $5 pizza, sandwiches in the U.S. for Wegovy, Ozempic users
Nestle NESN.S will market a new, US$5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
How much more Canadian consumers are paying, compared to this time last year
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.