Easy Access To Naloxone Kits In Oxford County

Thursday, 4 April 2019 07:47

There are naloxone kits available following the recent opioid overdoses last weekend.

WOODSTOCK - Following the recent opioid overdoses in the Friendly City, naloxone kits are available to pick up and use.

The kits are accessible across the province.

Public Health Nurse for Southwestern Public Health, Lisa Gillespie says the kits are very simple to pick up.

"Naloxone is available over the counter, free of charge, at pharmacies across the province. All you need is a health card and then free kits and training are also available at Southwestern Public Health. You can just drop in during our business hours and get trained on how to recognize an opioid overdose and how to use naloxone."

Gillespie says naloxone kits are vital to preventing an opioid overdose.

"Naloxone is easy to use and it's really important for people that might be at risk for an overdose, or if you have a family member or friend that might be at risk for an overdose. A quick intervention is really important and it's so easy to use and we train you on how to use it, so it's an important tool to have in your first aid kit."

Gillespie says naloxone is a medication that is used in an emergency situation after someone has overdosed on an opioid.

She adds Southwestern Public Health also trains you on overdose prevention and how to use the naloxone kit.

"What we do is talk about how to prevent that overdose in the first place, such as never using alone, using a small amount of drugs, don't mix drugs. And then we get into how to use the naloxone kit specifically, so calling 911 and then how to administer it whether it's inter-nasal, so a spray into the nasal or inter-muscular, a injection into the arm. And then we also talk about doing CPR and continuing CPR and reassessing and giving a second dose of naloxone if needed, until EMS arrives and they can take them to a hospital for further treatment."

Gillespie also says the naloxone kits have saved lives.

"We hear feedback from clients all the time that have had to use their naloxone kit on their peers, on their friends and on their family so it has saved many lives in Oxford County and across Canada."

The kits can be picked up at Southwestern Public Health in Woodstock from 8:30am to 4:30pm. They are closed from 12:00pm to 1:00pm for lunch.

If you want to learn more about naloxone kits and how to use them, you can read more online.