Pubdate: Fri, 23 Dec 2016
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2016 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/send_a_letter
Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Nick Martin
Page: A1

OPIOID ANTIDOTES IN SCHOOLS CONSIDERED

WINNIPEG School Division is considering stocking its schools with the
antidote naloxone in case any student suffers an opioid overdose.

"We need to pay attention to it," trustee Lisa Naylor said Thursday.
"It may be something we deem as a good idea, as part of a first aid
kit."

Naylor raised the possibility at a school board meeting earlier this
month and was told the WSD administration was already looking into it.
Naylor said a parent, who is also a doctor, had told her another
unidentified school division is also considering putting naloxone kits
in schools.

Naloxone is an antidote that is effective in some cases of opioid
overdoses. Fatal overdoses related to the fentanyl and other opioids
have become a health crisis this year across Canada.

Education Minister Ian Wishart said through an aide Thursday the
province won't support naloxone in schools until there has been
extensive due diligence.

"Training is required to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose and
in order to administer naloxone safely. Based on available Manitoba
data, the rise in opioid overdoses appears to be centred in the 20- to
34-year-old age range and, therefore, an accidental exposure in a
school setting would likely be statistically rare," Wishart said in a
statement.

He pointed out other large provincial employers such as the University
of Manitoba and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority have not
sanctioned the use of naloxone by non-regulated health-care providers,
and the requirement of antidotes has to be part of a broader policy
discussion.

"Opioid overdose continues to be managed through existing emergency
response procedures, including calling 911 and performing artificial
respirations," he said.

Naylor was uncertain how much training would be involved for school
staff in administering naloxone and recognizing a student had
overdosed compared to suffering some other kind of medical emergency.

She was unaware of any WSD student having overdosed while at school.
"If we had a kid who had overdosed in a school, we would have been
notified," she said.

The Manitoba Teachers' Society was not familiar with the initiative
and did not comment.

W NDP health critic Matt Wiebe likes the idea.

"One of the things we've called for is the wide availability of
naloxone," Wiebe said. "There has to be training, there has to be support.

"These kids are using more prescription medicines, they're using more
pills - this is the message parents have been giving us."

Liberal interim Leader Judy Klassen said schools should be part of the
public response to the overdose epidemic. "It's proactive, right? It's
making sure we don't have students dying in the classroom," she said.

Manitoba School Boards Association president Ken Cameron said school
boards are taking a close look at the issue.

"To date, we are fortunate in that there have been no critical
opioid-related instances in Manitoba's public schools," Cameron said
from Minnedosa. "We anticipate corresponding with school boards on
this matter early in the new year. We are still compiling the
necessary information. Our advice will reflect the expertise of
health-care, risk-management and insurance professionals, as each has
a role to play in keeping students, staff and schools safe."

The Louis Riel, River East Transcona, Pembina Trails and Seven Oaks
school divisions all said they're not currently looking at naloxone
for their schools.

However, Seven Oaks superintendent Brian O'Leary said that could
potentially change if the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority
recommended it as a practice for schools to follow. What is naloxone?

A medication used to treat overdoses involving opioid drugs such as
heroin, morphine, methadone, oxycodone, fentanyl and
carfentanil.

It blocks or reverses the effects of opioids, which include extreme
drowsiness, slowed breathing and loss of consciousness.

Brothers Pharmacy on Selkirk Avenue and Tache Pharmacy outlets on
Tache Avenue and McPhillips Street sell naloxone in injectable and
intranasal kits. The College of Pharmacists of Manitoba is compiling a
list of locations where it's available.

Winnipeg Street Connections (496 Hargrave St.) provides free naloxone
kits in exchange for a visit and training that takes less than an
hour. No appointment is necessary. The agency is open Monday to Friday
from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Injectable:

Should be administered by health-care providers, emergency responders
or others who are properly trained. The vials are broken open and the
syringe is used to take up the naloxone. In an emergency, the syringe
is poked about 2.5 centimetres deep through clothing into muscle in an
arm, leg or buttock.

Kits contain two vials of naloxone, a syringe, two alcohol swabs, two
retractable syringes and instructions. There are two vials because one
injection may not be enough to arrest the overdose. The first
injection could wear off sooner than the opioid. An overdose victim
must be monitored to make sure he or she doesn't suffer a relapse and
require a second injection.

Brothers sells the kits for $15, but the price will rise to $40 soon
due to an increase in price from the manufacturer. Brothers provides
training for first-time buyers.

Intranasal:

Much easier to administer; it is sprayed into the nose and is absorbed
through the mucous membrane, making it effective even when breathing
is slowed or has ceased.
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MAP posted-by: Matt