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New overdose prevention guidelines coming for B.C. universities

Click to play video: 'B.C. government mandates nasal naloxone at universities'
B.C. government mandates nasal naloxone at universities
The B.C. government, in response to the death of 18-year-old University of Victoria student Sidney McIntyre-Starko, has made several changes to policies, including making nasal naloxone available on all B.C. campuses. Travis Prasad reports – Jul 11, 2024

A steering committee has identified early actions for post-secondary institutions to follow in the event of an overdose on campus.

The Ministry of Post-Secondary Education says early actions it identified include providing clarity on contacting emergency services, expanding awareness of toxic drug alerts and overdose prevention, as well as ensuring consistent access to naloxone.

The ministry says it is developing medical response guidelines, ordering nasal naloxone that will be distributed to the 25 public post-secondary institutions and launching an overdose awareness campaign that will be rolled out during the fall semester.

Click to play video: 'Impact of toxic drug crisis on students'
Impact of toxic drug crisis on students

The review comes after the coroner called an inquest into the fatal overdose in January of a University of Victoria student whose parents say she died after a delay in administering naloxone and starting CPR.

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The ministry says the steering committee, which was formed in May, will continue to meet this summer to establish a provincewide response that will be put into practice at all of B.C.’s public post-secondary institutions by the fall semester.

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Such practices may include training guidelines for campus security personnel, communication guidelines for institutions during a medical emergency, and developing best practices for communication protocols on emergency contacts.

 

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