By Curtis Galbraith

Overdose Response

Northreach Society welcoming overdose training being added to first aid and CPR courses

Oct 4, 2021 | 5:00 AM

An official with Grande Prairie’s Northreach Society is welcoming the Canadian Red Cross’ decision to include opioid response in CPR and first aid training.

The Red Cross says in a release Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program will be providing $7.9 million over the next three years to both work with St. John Ambulance to provide training and to maintain a system that would make sure naloxone is available.

Community Based Health and STBBI Manager with Northreach, Lindsay Loset, says this is exciting to hear.

“I know when I first started working in the harm reduction field, it was my opinion or thought that naloxone should be readily available in every first aid kit,” said Loset.

“Where you have a first aid kit, you’ll have naloxone. Where you have an AED (automated external defibrillator), you’ll also have naloxone.”

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Loset says this move will decrease stigma and increase awareness as more people learn how to respond to an overdose.

“I think that is something, too, that people just aren’t very comfortable with, responding to an opioid overdose,” Loset said.

“So, normalizing it a little bit more, making people more aware and eliminating some of that stigma I think will help.”

Loset thinks this will have a big impact in Grande Prairie.

“There is a higher rate of overdoses in communities that are around or under that 100,000 population mark. There just seems to be a higher rate there.,” Loset explained.

“It won’t just help in places like Grande Prairie, but other small communities that also have a high rate of overdose deaths.”

Loset says the Northreach Society can train someone how to use a naloxone kit in 10-15 minutes if they are in a rush, but they can also take more time to share more information.

She adds naloxone kits are available at the Society’s office, pharmacies, the hospital and the public health unit.