HealthSubstance-related ER visits surge among young mothers in Ontario

New Ontario data show substance use is driving an increase in mothers’ emergency department visits. Epidemiologist and study author Colleen Webber said rates of drug- and alcohol-related visits among mothers more than doubled from 2008 to 2024, rising considerably faster than among women of the same age without children. The authors said it remains unclear whether motherhood or parenting is driving the increase.