Members of the Chatham-Kent Board of Health are lending their voice to a growing chorus calling on the province to declare a drug poisoning crisis in Ontario.
Karen Kirkwood-Whyte says the issue was raised at a recent meeting of the Association of Local Public Health Agencies, or ALPHA.
Reading a letter from officials at R.O.C.K. Missions in Chatham, Kirkwood-Whyte says the numbers on studies on drug use and addiction are an under-representation since the majority of users aren’t captured in current data collection.
“The drug poisoning crisis in Ontario needs to be declared an emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act in order for a response to be a priority for local public health units, local and provincial governments, as well as community partner organizations and to warrant the same urgency and intensity as the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Kirkwood-Whyte says since provincial cabinet has yet to be formed following the June 2nd election, the organization wants to ensure the issue gets the attention it deserves.
ALPHA is recommending the provincial government consider the potential role and appropriate timing of declaring the drug poisoning crisis in Ontario as an emergency.
The Chatham-Kent Board of Health is preparing a resolution of its own, showing support for the ALPHA motion.
