The group of Windsor-Essex agencies monitoring trends in substance abuse has released its 2025 report.
The Windsor-Essex Community Substance Strategy (WECOSS) released its annual report on Thursday.
Eric Nadalin, Director of Public Health Programs at the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, said the report is the result of a strategy renewal that began last year.
"Community partners were consulted, and local data was reviewed to identify what is working well, where gaps remain, and where collective efforts can have the greatest impact across Windsor‑Essex County," said Nadalin.
The report highlighted the work of four working groups set up to combat the issue. One dealt with youth and family engagement to curb substance abuse, and one oversaw programming for anti-stigma and harm reduction strategies.
These initiatives provided tools and information to roughly 42,000 people, according to a summary of the report.
The other working groups looked at community safety and expanding access to opioid agonist therapy.
"Direct services for people who use drugs remained substantial, with nearly 34,000 interactions related to safer consumption and nearly 5,000 naloxone kits provided to over 2,100 people trained," read the summary.
Access to treatment services was supported through the online inventory known as WEC Connect. It added 24 new listings and brought in almost 4,800 visitors.
"This year’s annual report shows what is possible when we work together to prevent harm and connect people to care," added Natalin.
The report will help WECOSS use a just-completed drug strategy to guide work on the 2026-2030 Action Plan.
The complete report is available for viewing on the WECOSS website.
