Nanaimo Regional General Hospital’s emergency department is the third emergency department in the province to offer Take Home Naloxone as a life-saving antidote for clients at risk of opioid overdose

The take home Naloxone kits have been available since mid-December, and will be provided to individuals seen for opioid-related medical emergencies, or those who emergency department staff identify as a future risk of opioid overdose.

Naloxone is a medication that reverses the effects of an overdose from opioids (e.g. heroin, methadone, morphine).
BC has developed a Take Home Naloxone (THN) Program to help save lives.

Naloxone, or Narcan®, is an antidote to opioid overdose. The Take Home Naloxone program is part of a broader program of prevention and response within the Nanaimo community. Those who access the naloxone kits at NRGH will also receive training on how to use the kits, information about community resources and education around overdose prevention.

Health Canada proposes Naloxone to be made available without prescription outside hospitals

On January 14, 2016, Health Canada proposed a change to make naloxone more widely available to Canadians in support of efforts to address the growing number of opioid overdoses. After taking the unprecedented step of initiating a review of the drug’s prescription status, Health Canada has put forward an amendment to the prescription drug list to allow non-prescription use of naloxone specifically for emergency use for opioid overdose outside hospital settings.

Health-care advocates have been calling on the federal government to address what they describe as an epidemic of opioid overdose deaths. — The Globe and Mail, January 15, 2016

Health Canada noted that some provinces have already expanded the availability of naloxone through community-based take-home programs, and others have undertaken regulatory changes to allow use by first responders.

Wave of overdose deaths in B.C. and Alberta called an epidemic

“A bootleg version of fentanyl has been linked to a wave of overdose deaths that have hit British Columbia and Alberta particularly hard. Fentanyl was developed as a prescription painkiller, but gained popularity as a street drug after other opioids, notably OxyContin, were removed from the market. The bootleg version of fentanyl is often made in clandestine labs and smuggled into Canada.” — Source: The Globe and Mail, January 15, 2016

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is often prescribed to cancer patients in severe pain. But drug dealers working in illegal labs have begun synthesizing the drug and adding it to other powders and pills such as fake oxycontin, to boost their potency. Fentanyl is quick-acting and 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, so an overdose can lead to an almost immediate death. — Source: CTV News, August 5, 2015. [Click on the image to the left to open an infographic about Fentanyl. Source: CTV News]

“Officials in Manitoba are worried that it might be just a matter of time before the illegal consumption of fentanyl expands eastward to the province in a big way. The RCMP has already observed a “heightened presence” of fentanyl in the illicit market in Manitoba, Chief Superintendent Scott Kolody, officer in charge of criminal operations in the province, said in an e-mail to The Globe and Mail.” — Source: The Globe and Mail, January 13, 2016

Fentanyl is not just a big-city problem. It can be found in small towns and remote centres across the province. — RCMP Chief Superintendent Scott Kolody, officer in charge of criminal operations in Manitoba

Nanaimo RCMP and Island Health are collaborating following reports, earlier this month, of an increase in non-fatal overdoses in Nanaimo. The Greater Victoria area had seen a significant increase in overdoses and cases under coroner investigation starting Dec 20th and the desire is to prevent more tragedies from occurring.

The Nanaimo RCMP urges all users of drugs to exercise extreme caution. Officers experienced in the distribution of street level drugs are working collaboratively with our provincial partners to identify the source of these drugs. — Constable Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP

While no current statistics are available, a preliminary report from the B.C. Coroners Service shows fentanyl was detected in 91 of 257 illicit drug deaths in B.C. between January and Aug. 31, 2015, compared to 13 in 272 deaths in 2012. — Source: Nanaimo News Bulletin, December 17, 2015

We speak with Dr. Dee Hoyano, a medical health officer for Island Health, and with Rebecca McGregor and Sheri Shanahan, registered nurses and co-coordinators of the Naloxone program at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

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audio | overdoses and #naloxone kits @VanIslandHealth @AIDSVanIsle #Nanaimo #VancouverIsland https://t.co/DDDulQXmIP pic.twitter.com/7nvUxWDCdB

— People First Radio (@peoplefirstrad) January 21, 2016