Joint police, paramedic foot patrols begin to tackle drug crisis in Pembroke, Ont.

Foot patrols are now taking place in Renfrew County, and specifically Pembroke, in response to the uptick in overdose deaths and the region's escalating drug crisis.

Teams consisting of police officers, paramedics, and crisis workers have started these foot patrols, frequenting spots in Pembroke that are popular among the homeless and vulnerable population.

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This includes The Grind, the Pembroke Library, the downtown Tim Hortons, and the overnight warming centre.

"In Pembroke right now, there's lots of overdoses, lots of unconscious (people), and unfortunately lots of fatalities," said Stephanie Rose, acting commander with the Renfrew County Community Paramedic Program.

"So if people can see us out in the community and we have all these services out helping the community, then maybe we can touch more people."

Inspector Stephan Neufeld with the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP said these foot patrols will consist of "good old fashioned community engagement".

"This is an opportunity for us to engage with communities that we have traditionally not actively gone out to engage with," Neufeld told CTV News.

Neufeld says the collaboration between police, paramedics, and crisis workers is one not seen anywhere else in the province at this time.

The need for innovated approaches to the evolving drug crisis in Pembroke speaking to the seriousness of the situation.

"We are still very actively engaged in drug investigations," says Neufeld.

"Not only that, the sudden deaths that we do have as a result of opioid deaths, let's not forget that these are still very active investigations."

The foot patrols do not take place every day throughout the county, with teams only walking the streets for a few hours at a time.

Lori Shannon, an advanced care paramedic in Renfrew who participated in a foot patrol on Friday, said the state of people they are engaging with on the street shows the need for the patrols.

"It's an unfortunate state. A lot of them are quite ill, walking around with injuries. And it's a population that's reluctant to seek help."

The paramedics in the patrol team address any immediate health concerns while also sharing drug prevention strategies.

The patrol's crisis worker helps direct those in need to services within the community.

"A lot of the issues are homelessness," said Ashley Verner, a mental health crisis worker with Mental Health Services of Renfrew County.

"So just touching base about their homeless situation. If they find somewhere to live, kind of looking into if there's any funds for them and I'm just making sure they're connected with the right resources."

The foot patrols are part of a new program the county is initiating called Mesa, which will aiming to provide transitional housing for the homeless population with localized services and resources.