The Current How one community is cutting opioid deaths in half
Feb 27, 2026
Michael Nolan, Chief Paramedic and Director of Emergency Services in Renfrew County, helped lead a community care model tackling overdoses. He discusses why local deaths spiked, how coordinated paramedics, addictions workers and social services were brought together, and practical harm-reduction steps like street drug testing, Narcan distribution and housing-linked supports.
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Local Drivers And Toxic Supply Created The Spike
- Renfrew County's opioid surge in 2023 combined social drivers with a toxic illicit supply rather than simple individual choice.
- Michael Nolan links lack of housing, scarce local services, and drugs laced with fentanyl as the fatal mix driving young deaths.
Integrate Services For Faster Community Impact
- Reconfigure services to work shoulder to shoulder across sectors instead of operating in silos.
- Michael Nolan says paramedics, hospitals, addictions workers and not-for-profits coordinating outreach produced quicker progress than repeating old approaches.
Use Community Paramedics For Prevention
- Shift paramedics toward prevention and outreach rather than only emergency transport.
- Renfrew County's community paramedic model pairs paramedics with addictions workers and uses portable drug-testing to educate and reduce overdoses.