StatsCan data shows alarming spike in opioid poisoning

By Gillian Slade on October 23, 2018.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com  @MHNGillianSlade

The number of people being hospitalized for opioid poisoning has increased 56 per cent in the past decade, and most of that took place in the past three years, according to a recent Statistics Canada report.

Nearly 12 out of every 100,000 people in Canada is hospitalized for opioid poisoning. There are slightly more females than males in this category and 17.7 per 100,000 are 65 years or older. while 16.8 are between the ages of 45 and 64, says the report.

However, the report points out the greatest increase was among those between the ages of 15 and 24 years.

StatsCan looked at the social and economic characteristics of those hospitalized for opioid poisoning and found the majority, 23.1 per 100,000, were people from medium-size population areas. About 9.3 were from large urban centres and 13.0 from rural areas.

A total of 2.6 per 100,000 people were visible minorities and 13.2 non-visible minorities.

Of those between 15 and 65 years of age, 30.8 were not in the labour force and 20.1 were unemployed.

Questions such as whether the individual is unemployed as a result of addiction or whether being unemployed contributed to the addiction, could be asked but HIV Community Link says it is much more complex than that.

“Use of substances and the risk presented by the overdose crisis impacts people of every socioeconomic status, and the risk for substance use is complex and cannot be determined or explained by any one factor,” said Leslie Hill, executive director of HIV Community Link that operates the needle exchange in Medicine Hat and is working toward establishing a local supervised consumption site.

Systemic factors and vulnerabilities such as socioeconomic status, gender, sexual diversity, employment, cultural factors and experience of racism can increase someone’s vulnerability and the potential for using substances, said Hill.

“These factors, along with the stigma associated with substance use, impact experiences of social isolation, as well as isolation from traditional health resources,” said Hill. “Those who experience multiple and intersectional vulnerabilities are less likely to have access to and proactively seek health care supports, leaving it until there is a critical need for services.”

These factors are some of the reasons for the need to access harm reduction services, she explained.

StatsCan notes there were some limitations in the report. The data was based on hospitalizations of people in private residences. It did not include those who were institutionalized, incarcerated, living in shelters or the homeless.

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