Opioid Emergency Department Visits

Monthly Surveillance
By Year
By Age & Sex
By Material Deprivation

Monthly Surveillance

From January to June of 2022 there were approximately 40 opioid poisoning emergency department visits per month among Simcoe Muskoka residents, which was lower than what was reported in the first half of 2021.

These data are considered preliminary and are subject to change.

Suspected overdose emergency department visits are also being tracked by the health unit and reported on a weekly basis. These are not confirmed opioid overdoses; however, increases in suspected overdose visits can be an early warning for surges in opioid-related overdoses. See the Simcoe Muskoka Opioid Surveillance Dashboard for most recent data.

By Year

In 2021, there were over 800 emergency department visits for opioid poisonings among Simcoe Muskoka residents, which was approximately 25% higher than what was observed the previous year.

The crude rate for opioid poisoning emergency visits in Simcoe Muskoka for all ages and sexes in 2021 was 131.9 (123.0, 141.3) visits per 100,000 population, which was significantly higher than the Ontario rate of 115.0 (113.3, 116.8) visits per 100,000 population.

The opioid poisoning emergency visit rate increase significantly in 2021 in both Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario overall compared with 2020. Opioid poisoning emergency department visits rates in Simcoe Muskoka have nearly quadrupled when compared to what was observed between 2010 and 2014 and are more than five times higher when compared to the rates between 2004 and 2008. The Simcoe Muskoka rates have been significantly higher than the comparable provincial rates since 2004.

By Age & Sex

Emergency visits for opioid poisonings is highest among adults between the ages of 25 and 44 years. The age-specific rates for opioid poisoning emergency visits in 2021 in Simcoe Muskoka were significantly higher than the provincial rates for all age groups among the population 25 to 64 years of age.

In 2021, the crude opioid poisoning emergency visit rate among Simcoe Muskoka males was 180.9 (166.2, 196.6) per 100,000, which was significantly higher than the female rate of 83.0 (73.1, 93.8) per 100,000. The Simcoe Muskoka rates were significantly higher than the comparable provincial rates for both males and females in 2020.

The opioid poisoning emergency visit rates among both Simcoe Muskoka males and females followed the same increasing trend from 2003 to 2016; however, in 2017 the male rate increased significantly more than did the female rate. The rate among males continues to increase annually including a sharp and significant increase in 2021, whereas the rate among females has remained relatively stable since 2018.

In 2021, significantly more adult males in Simcoe Muskoka between the ages of 25 and 64 visited the emergency department for an opioid poisoning when compared with females of the same age.

By Material Deprivation

In 2021 in Simcoe Muskoka, emergency visits for opioid poisonings were highest among those living in areas with the highest amount of material deprivation (as measured by the 2016 Ontario Marginalization Index).