Naloxone kits.  (Photo by Ryan Drury)Naloxone kits. (Photo by Ryan Drury)
Sarnia

Trying To Curb Local Opioid Deaths

BMC Pharmacy on Victoria St. is holding a free Naloxone kit training day on Friday, coinciding with International Overdose Awareness Day.

Manager Marcel Laporte says BMC has given out about 150 kits over the years.

"The kits contain two doses, either administered nasally or via injection," says Laporte. "These doses generally will be enough to sort of delay the onset or reverse the onset of an overdose until such time as emergency personnel can attend."

Laporte says they're appealing to friends or family members of someone who struggles with opioid addiction to come and learn about the kits.

They're generally the ones that will have to administer Naloxone in case of an overdose.

According to a report by the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network, in 2016 about 21,400 people were prescribed opioid drugs to treat pain in Sarnia-Lambton.

Locally, there were 165 opioid-related emergency room visits, including 47 poisonings resulting in five deaths.

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