Quebec teachers to train students on how to intervene during an opioid overdose
Some 2,300 high school teachers in four Canadian provinces are now able to train their students to intervene in the event of an opioid overdose.
Just under 800 of these teachers are in Quebec.
The ACT Advanced Coronary Treatment Foundation has added the use of naloxone, the antidote administered nasally to counter the effects of an opioid overdose, to the cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillation program it offers free of charge to high schools across the country.
"Thanks to this training, we have more students who can respond to emergency situations and who sometimes make the difference," said Salim Grim, program manager for the ACT Foundation in Quebec.
Launched in June 2022, the first phase of this training program has now reached 2,300 teachers in 830 high schools in Quebec, Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia. It's estimated that more than 160,000 students could now be trained each year to respond to a suspected opioid overdose.
Among other things, the training enables teachers to teach students what opioids are and how overdoses occur; what naloxone is and how it works; how to recognize a suspected opioid overdose; and how to respond to a possible overdose, including administering a naloxone nasal spray if necessary.
"Opioid overdose response is an emerging issue in Canada in recent years," said ACT Foundation director of operations Jennifer Russell. "It's also related to CPR. It's something that students and even their teachers find completely logical and normal in the course of our training."
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, almost 6,000 deaths from apparent opioid overdose were reported between January and September 2023.
The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction notes that 94 per cent of opioid overdose deaths occur by accident, and that young Canadians aged 15 to 24 are the fastest-growing population requiring hospital care due to opioid overdose.
"Training the next generation of good Samaritans starts at school," said Grim. "We started with CPR a few years ago. The defibrillator was added to that training, and opioid overdose training was a logical evolution."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Iran President Ebrahim Raisi found dead at helicopter crash site, state media says
Iranian president, the country’s foreign minister and others have been found dead at the site of a helicopter crash Monday after a search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest.
Court eases internet restrictions for Sask. man who matched with a 15-year-old girl on Tinder
A Saskatchewan man who had a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old girl he met on Tinder successfully appealed to shorten release conditions barring him from online dating.
Stittsville residents seeking answers as bylaw cracks down on street basketball nets
Stittsville residents on Kearnsley Way are seeking answers after an unusual bylaw crackdown on Friday. Every home with a basketball net received a ticket instructing homeowners to remove their nets from the road.
'A horrible way to start the summer': 3 killed in serious boat crash on lake north of Kingston, Ont.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
What do we know so far about the mysterious crash of the helicopter carrying Iran's president?
The apparent crash of a helicopter carrying Iran's president and foreign minister on Sunday sent shock waves around the region.
Ex-partner charged with first-degree murder after 55-year-old woman killed in Montreal
Less than 24 hours after Montreal's 12th homicide investigation began, Montreal police confirmed that a 55-year-old woman's death in St. Michel is the island's 13th homicide. The woman's ex-spouse has been charged with first-degree murder.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
Toxic drugs circulating in northeastern Ont., police say
Canada’s largest First Nations police service, the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service issued a community safety alert as extremely toxic drugs are likely circulating in many of the communities it serves.