Pubdate: Sun, 12 Feb 2017
Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB)
Copyright: 2017 Canoe Limited Partnership.
Contact: http://www.edmontonsun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.edmontonsun.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/135
Author: Meghan Potkins
Page: 12

EQUIPPED TO RESPOND

RCMP report success with naloxone kits

While emergency medical personnel respond to the bulk of drug overdose
calls, RCMP and municipal police are increasingly drawn into the fray
as the opioid crisis continues to take its toll on Alberta.

Postmedia has obtained preliminary data on how frequently RCMP members
are administering naloxone on the job.

Alberta RCMP members have administered naloxone - an antidote used to
reverse the effects of fentanyl and other powerful opioids - a total
of three times since officers were provided with the nasal spray kits
last October.

The information comes as Edmonton fire Chief Ken Block said this week
his department is rolling out naloxone kits and associated training on
a station-by-station basis immediately.

Edmonton police are also contemplating whether to provide more patrol
officers with naloxone.

Across Canada, RCMP have administered the antidote 79 times since
October. On just six of those occasions the victim of the overdose
didn't make it.

"I don't think we can understate how bad it is. This is a crisis that
is effecting all of Alberta," said RCMP Cpl. Curtis Peters.

"Certainly there is value in police officers carrying the antidote.
Two individuals in the province are alive as a result, including one
of our own officers."

The occasions RCMP officers in Alberta have administered the antidote
have been few but significant, including when officers were called
upon to treat one of their own who accidentally overdosed while
executing a search warrant at a drug lab on Dec. 30 in Grande Prairie.

The other two incidents occurred in southern Alberta, generally
considered to be the hardest hit area of the province.

On Jan. 28, an RCMP officer in the midst of a call at a Red Deer
address became aware of a totally unrelated person suffering from an
overdose nearby and were able to administer the antidote before EMS
could even arrive.

And on Dec. 3 in Pincher Creek, RCMP officers were flagged down at the
side of the road to help someone suffering from an overdose in a vehicle.

The victim in that case did not survive.

"The unfortunate reality is that the people who are involved in the
sale of this, literally are selling poison to people for profit. And
the lack of regard for human life is pretty disappointing," Peters
said.

Peters emphasized that the antidote shouldn't be viewed as an "easy
fix" by fentanyl users.

"When you're unconscious and not breathing for a period of time, that
has a long term effect on your brain. Just being alive doesn't speak
to the quality of life you may have as a result," Peters said.
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MAP posted-by: Matt