The South East Local Health Integration Network is working on a strategy to reduce opioid-related harm in Hastings County.
The Belleville Intelligencer reports the LHIN’s strategy is meant to give an overview of the opioid crisis in the region, and create a response. Steps could include reducing prescriptions by educating doctors, offering alternative treatments when possible, monitoring opioid-related harm to understand the impact of the drugs, and providing harm-reduction strategies for those taking the opioids.
The issue hits home, because statistics from 2015 show there were over 2,300 opioid users per 10,000 people with public drug plan benefits in Hastings County.
The strategy is still a rough draft, but could be rolled out as early as August.