OPP in Norfolk County are praising two officers who saved the life of a Simcoe woman who nearly died twice in less than 24 hours from two separate opioid overdoses. She was sent home in between calls by Norfolk General Hospital

She was taken to hospital, treated, and released, only to be admitted hours later that night.

Dave Thompson, Supervisor for Hamilton Paramedics says it’s for this reason that they always try to take people to hospital after an overdose, once they get there, its up to the hospital’s discretion. There is no set protocol as to how long a person stays in hospital for care, rather it’s on a case by case basis and is up to the discretion of the ER staff based on the patient’s case and medical state. They are also referred to specific addictions resources based on their condition, according to both St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton and Niagara Regional Health.

So far this year, there have been 121 opioid overdose calls, which works out to about 3 per day.

Compare that with 450 calls in total for the whole year in 2018.

Thompson says, sometimes for those who overdosed, their journey to recovery could start on the ambulance ride.

Something that police, paramedics and hospital staff can only hope people will do.