The key components of the Renfrew County and District Drug Strategy include:

Prevention: Initiatives aimed at reducing risk factors for substance use harms across the lifespan, particularly those related to adverse childhood experiences, social determinants of health, and social inequity; while increasing protective factors that promote child and youth development, family well-being, and community connection.

Harm Reduction: Programs that mitigate the negative health and social impacts associated with drug use.

Treatment: Accessible and effective treatment options for those struggling with addiction and substance use disorders.

Community Safety: Efforts to reduce drug-related crime and community harms while supporting individuals in need of treatment and recovery services.

The drug strategy will benefit the Renfrew County and District community by:

• Improving public health outcomes by reducing drug-related harms, such as overdoses and deaths.
• Enhancing community safety through crime prevention initiatives and support.
• Providing a coordinated, health-focused response to drug use, ensuring that individuals receive the help they need.
• Reducing healthcare and social service costs by preventing and managing harmful drug use more effectively.

More than 30 local experts, service providers, leaders, and people with lived experience from non-profit, private, and public sectors have joined forces to begin the development of the Renfrew County and District Drug Strategy (RCDDS), led by co-chairs Dr. Jason Morgenstern, Medical Officer of Health for RCDHU, and Jama Watt, Strategic Implementation Lead for the Ottawa Valley Ontario Health Team.

Partner Organizations Include:

• Addiction Treatment Services
• Algonquins of Pikwakanagan
• City of Pembroke
• County of Renfrew, Community Services
• County of Renfrew, Paramedics
• Harvest House
• Mackay Manor
• Ontario Addiction Treatment Centre
• Ottawa West Four Rivers Health Team
• Ottawa Valley Ontario Health Team
• Pathways Alcohol and Drug Treatment Services
• Pembroke Regional Hospital
• Phoenix Centre for Children and Families
• Renfrew County and District Health Unit
• Renfrew County Catholic District School Board
• Renfrew County District School Board
• Renfrew County Youth Wellness Hub
• The Grind
• The Town of Laurentian Hills (County of Renfrew County Council Representative)
• Township of Admaston Bromley (County of Renfrew County Council Representative)
• Township of South Algonquin
• Upper Ottawa Valley OPP

Community members can get involved by:

• Participating in public engagement opportunities when advertised.
• Volunteering with local organizations that support children, youth, and families, foster positive community connections, and promote harm reduction and treatment efforts.
• Learning and teaching others about drug-related harms and the four pillars of prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and community safety.
• Supporting initiatives and policies that promote public health and safety.

COMING SOON!

Drug Strategy in Development for Renfrew County and District 

September 11, 2024

Like many communities across North America, the opioid crisis is having a tragic impact on local families and communities across Renfrew County and District (RCD). In 2023, there were 69 opioid overdose-related emergency department visits and 41 suspected drug poisoning deaths in RCD, with both increasing relative to 2022. The rate of suspect drug poisoning deaths in 2023 was over 3 times the rate in 2018 to 2019.

Local nonprofits, private and public sector organizations, and persons with lived experience have joined forces to begin the development of a Renfrew County and District Drug Strategy (RCDDS), led by co-chairs Dr. Jason Morgenstern, Medical Officer of Health for the Renfrew County and District Health Unit (RCDHU), and Jama Watt, Strategic Implementation Lead for the Ottawa Valley Ontario Health Team.

The drug strategy will focus on four key pillars: prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and community safety. Each pillar will be addressed by a working group comprised of related local organizations and people with direct experience of the issues.

“The RCDDS truly brings together individuals from every sector – community and social services, addiction treatment, government, residents, public health, and healthcare,” states Dr. Morgenstern. “It’s exciting because the strategy will help coordinate the many great initiatives already underway, while systematically identifying the most effective ways to enhance our response.”

“The County of Renfrew’s mesa initiative, tackling homelessness, substance use, addictions, and mental health, is a great example of one initiative that is helping achieve the goals of the drug strategy,” Dr. Morgenstern adds.

“Building on that, we have Addiction Treatment Services, MacKay Manor and Pathways Alcohol and Drug Treatment Services, and organizations like The Grind continuing to work hard to connect residents to treatment, while organizations such as Renfrew County and District Health Unit, the Phoenix Centre for Children and Families, Youth Wellness Hubs, and school boards, among others, are actively continuing work in education, awareness, and prevention,” notes Watt.

The goals of the local drug strategy include reduced drug-related harms and overdoses, enhanced community safety, a coordinated response to drug addiction to help ensure individuals receive the help they need, and a reduction in healthcare and social service costs.

Once a draft strategy and report is developed, a key next step will be community consultation and input, expected by early 2025.

In the meantime, RCDDS partners remind residents that support is available. The Renfrew County Addiction Treatment System delivers assessment, counselling, and treatment programs to individuals who use substances. Additionally, RCDHU’s harm reduction program offers safe supplies, which can be accessed at 141 Lake Street in Pembroke, OATC Renfrew, and Arnprior Shoppers Drug Mart. You can call or text 613-602-6056 during RCDHU’s business hours before you arrive to pick up or return supplies. Walk-ins are also accepted.

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