Pubdate: Wed, 03 Feb 2016 Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB) Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network Contact: http://www.calgaryherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66 Author: Reid Southwick Page: A3 FENTANYL ANTIDOTE AVAILABLE AT CLINICS Twenty-nine walk-in clinics - including two post-secondary campuses in Calgary - will hand out life-saving medicine that reverses the effects of fentanyl overdoses, as health officials grapple with an escalating death toll. The new dispensing strategy makes naloxone more available to suburban teenagers and other users who have been dying from fentanyl in big numbers but were unlikely to obtain the medicine under previous efforts. The new wave comes in the wake of news that 272 Albertans, including 81 from Calgary, died from fentanyl overdoses in 2015, more than double the 120 deaths reported the year before. "It's been a challenge to reach suburban or recreational users who may not feel they are at risk," said Dr. Nicholas Etches, the medical officer of health for the Calgary area. Health authorities must "make naloxone available in a way that is accessible to that population," he said. "This is an effort to do that, to make sure that if you're using fentanyl, that you're able to get the help that you need." Alberta's health authority will distribute 4,000 naloxone kits to the walk-in clinics and eight needle exchanges that have already been prescribing the antidote. Under this new distribution plan, naloxone kits will be distributed at health clinics at the University of Calgary and SAIT. The medicine will also be prescribed at the Drop-In Centre, a homeless shelter, and at the anti-poverty group CUPS. Users can walk into these sites to be trained on how to stop opioid overdoses with an injection before walking away with doses of medicine and needles. They are unlikely to use the antidote on themselves, but they can teach friends and family to use it on them, and they can use it to save their friends. Sparla McCann, a Calgary mother who lost her 19- year-old son Rory to a fentanyl overdose, welcomed news that health officials were dispensing naloxone kits in universities. But she said they must also move into high schools. McCann knows several mothers whose sons were in high school when they overdosed. Rory died before he had a chance to attend university. "I'm finding that a lot of these young people that are in high school are using," said McCann, an advocate for parents dealing with the tragic effects of fentanyl. "I'm for them getting those kits out everywhere and anywhere as fast as possible." Health authorities have been criticized for a slow response to the fentanyl death toll, which has been escalating in recent years, though Health Minister Sarah Hoffman has promised swift action. Authorities began distributing naloxone to needle exchanges last year, in the hopes they would reach the most vulnerable populations: at- risk drug users. But there were concerns suburban teenagers and other recreational users - who have been dying in big numbers - were unlikely to visit needle exchanges to get their hands on the medicine. Health officials hope these users are more likely to seek the antidote now that it's more widely available. They expect to continue adding more sites in the coming weeks, including family doctors' offices. While fentanyl may not be the leading drug of choice among Alberta users, it is by far the deadliest. Even small doses can be lethal. The opioid cuts off oxygen to the brain and heart, killing the user in minutes. Naloxone removes the drug from brain receptors, allowing users to breathe again. The medicine is temporary, lasting 45 to 90 minutes, which is long enough for users to seek medical help. It's a prescribed drug, but Health Canada is considering changes to make the medicine available in pharmacies without a prescription, something health officials across the country believe would open up access for users. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom