Ryerson at centre of opioid overdose crisis, says student leader
- JHR Ryerson
- Nov 15, 2019
- 3 min read
Reporter: Marin Scotten
Editors: Natalie Michie, David Venn and Manuela Vega
Free naloxone training was given to Ryerson students and community members as part of social justice week. (Marin Scotten/ JHR)
Every five days, someone overdoses in one of Ryerson University’s public bathrooms, according to Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP) Ryerson. Members of the club emphasized the importance of naloxone training at an overdose prevention workshop at Ryerson on Oct. 31.
Patrick Shaw from Toronto Public Health’s the Works program, which helps drug users stay safe and reduce harm, led the workshop alongside CSSDPR president Alannah Fricker; both of them stated supervised injection sites are critical to mitigating the crisis.
Shaw walked workshop attendees through the simple steps to administering naloxone, telling participants a person who has overdosed usually only needs one dose before EMS arrives.
“It can be scary dealing with an overdose. Definitely seek out emotional support if you ever witness an overdose or have to administer naloxone. It’s not easy,” Shaw said. “Drug use happens and we need to accept that. But there are ways we can help people.”
Naloxone is a medication used to temporarily barr the effects of opioid overdose until emergency services can intervene, according to the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH). The medication has been approved in Canada for over 40 years and has become a widespread best practice in Canada when dealing with the opioid crisis. Between April 2016 and December 2017, the BC Centre for Disease Control estimated that take home naloxone kits were instrumental in saving over 3,000 lives.
Previously, the medication came in these kits which required the administrator -- often times a non-medical professional -- to inject the fluid into the shoulder of a person who is experiencing an overdose; now, the medication also comes in a nasal spray, which is four times as potent as the injectable version and easier to administer, according to Vancouver pharmacist and UBC clinical instructor Aaron Sihota.
Alannah Fricker, president of Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy, speaks at free naloxone training as part of Ryerson’s social justice week. (Marin Scotten/ JHR)
Both Shaw and Fricker said that supervised injection sites -- in which naloxone kits are a necessity -- are crucial in reducing the number of overdoses in Canada.
A supervised injection site provides a hygienic and safe environment for people to inject pre-obtained drugs under the supervision of trained medical staff. According to Health Canada, the key aims of these facilities are to prevent overdose deaths, reduce the risk of disease transmission and connect people who use drugs with basic health and social services.
Shaw said one of the busiest supervised injection sites in Canada is located at 277 Victoria Street, and it is run by the Works.
As of Oct. 13, 2019, there have been 1,063 overdoses at this location. Of these overdose incidents, there have been 477 times that a client has required naloxone. Supervised injection sites like the Works are vital because they prevent overdoses from ending fatally, according to Toronto Public Health.
“There has never been a death at a supervised injection site in the country,” Fricker said.
Although supervised injection sites are important, Fricker said most overdoses don’t occur in these public spaces.
According to Toronto Public Health, 73 per cent of overdoses in Toronto happen in private residences.
“With take home naloxone programs, you can actually reverse overdoses that are happening in peoples’ private dwellings or out on the street,” Fricker said.
Fricker said the overdose crisis is the biggest health crisis of the century. According to Health Canada, there have been more than 9,000 opioid related deaths since 2016.
“Ryerson University is at the centre of this crisis,” Fricker said.
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