Just as portable defibrillators have become common in public places, so should naloxone, the potentially life-saving drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
But opioids, overdoses and naloxone are frightening and serious subjects for many people, officials say.
That’s why the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), with input from Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy, has created a new resource to help educate the public about opioid-related emergencies and naloxone.
Reducing Harms: Recognizing and Responding to Opioid Overdoses in Your Organization, is particularly useful for community groups that work with at-risk populations or that wish to implement a naloxone policy.
“The opioid overdose crisis continues to claim too many lives in Ontario,” said Fred Wagner, executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington.
“We need to better prepare ourselves to handle overdoses and ready access to naloxone is the best way we can save lives.
The toolkit is helpful for organizations and individuals who want to learn more about how to use naloxone during an opioid-related emergency at home, at work or at play.
The resource is more effective when it accompanies hands-on training provided from pharmacies or public health units.
“Embedded in harm reduction principles, it speaks to how stigma surrounding drug use prevents people from getting appropriate care,” said Adrienne Crowder, manager of the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy.
“It dispels the medical-legal misconceptions surrounding naloxone.”
The opioid problem is significant across the country, province and locally. In 2016, 50 people died due to an opioid overdose in Guelph, Waterloo Region and Wellington County.
Reducing Harms: Recognizing and Responding to Opioid Overdoses in Your Organization will provide:
– an overview of the current situation in Ontario related to opioids, naloxone and opioid-related emergencies, including definitions and facts;
– explanations of symptoms and who may be at-risk of an opioid overdose;
– information about where to get naloxone and instructions about how to use it;
– information about caring for an individual after they receive naloxone;
– information about supporting employees in the aftermath of an opioid emergency; and
– considerations about implementing a naloxone-delivery policy, including myth-busting information about naloxone administration.
“The surge in opiate overdoses makes this comprehensive toolkit a timely and invaluable resource to community based organizations for creating local policies to combat opioid overdose,” said Joan Nandlal, CEO of the John Howard Society of Waterloo-Wellington.
“All of us working in the justice, mental health and/or addictions fields should read this kit.”
To find out where you can get a naloxone kit, visit Ontario.ca/OpioidOverdose.
