KELOWNA – There are some new recruits in Kelowna in the battle against the deadly escalation of fentanyl overdoses in the city.
About 30 employees of nightclubs, bars and restaurants took a crash course Tuesday in recognizing and responding to an opioid overdose.
“If I’m working or out in the community and somebody starts overdosing I want to be there to save their life,” says Brian Huber of The OK Corral & Caberet.
The lesson included learning how to administer naloxone, the very effective emergency treatment for opioid overdoses.
“The overdose crisis has become a huge issue in the community,” says instructor Sheila Kerr from the Living Positive Resource Centre. “We want to make sure anybody who who is in an establishment where there could be recreational substance abuse amongst the patrons is aware of what to look for and how to respond .”
The participants received a certificate showing they’ve been trained in providing naloxone treatment.