Pubdate: Sat, 14 Jul 2012
Source: Kamloops Daily News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Kamloops Daily News
Contact:  http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/679
Author: Patricia Daly
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v12/n343/a02.html

NARCAN SAVES ADDICTS' LIVES

While we appreciate Ian Hames' concerns (in a letter published July 
4) about naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of potentially 
deadly drug overdoses, his concerns are theoretical and unfounded. 
Simply put, naloxone saves lives.

Naloxone (also known as its brand name, Narcan) can be injected into 
someone who has overdosed on an opiate, such as heroin, and acts in 
seconds to prevent them from dying.

Staff at Insite, our supervised injection facility, has used naloxone 
to counteract potentially deadly overdoses for years.

As a result, since it opened in 2002, there has not been a single 
overdose death at Insite. The potential concerns raised by the letter 
writer have not occurred with this initiative.

Soon we will begin a pilot project in partnership with the B.C. 
Centre for Disease Control to distribute kits with injectable 
naloxone, which will be accompanied by appropriate training. The 
project is modeled after an identical program in Toronto that has 
already shown to be effective in saving lives.

The use of naloxone to prevent overdose deaths is of proven benefit 
and we consider it a necessary addition to Vancouver Coastal Health's 
prevention, treatment and harm reduction initiatives. The appropriate 
use and distribution of naloxone also has the support of physicians 
and first responders in Vancouver.

DR. PATRICIA DALY

Vancouver Coastal Health, chief medical health officer

Vancouver
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom