Winnipeg health officials say opioid crisis is far from over

WINNIPEG — The opioid crisis hasn’t been in the spotlight as much in the last few months, but one addictions doctor says the problem is far from over.

“It was here prior to the media’s attention towards the concern about people suffering addiction to opioids, and it’s still going,” Dr. Ginette Poulin from Addictions Foundation of Manitoba said.

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The foundation has been holding packed community forums on fentanyl and other opioids across the province and the increased awareness has helped put naloxone on the shelves of more pharmacies.

“Pharmacies are now stocking more naloxone, people are coming for training, we’re getting these requests,” Dr. Poulin said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Pharmacies are now stocking more <a href="http://globalnews.ca/tag/naloxone/">naloxone</a>, people are coming for training, we're getting these requests," Dr. Poulin said.

Staff at Tache Pharmacy said they’ve been restocking their naloxone weekly and have also been giving training to organizations across the city.

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“It’s not as much from the friends and families aspect when the news stories first came out, more from schools, universities and organizations,” Shawn Chohan, pharmacist said.

Chohan said it’s far more than just a problem on the street, it’s also about protecting people who are prescribed these drugs and being proactive in case of an accidental overdose.

“You don’t realize how many people are on these medications,” Chohan said. “So we figured it was something that would be beneficial to the public.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "You don't realize how many people are on these medications," Chohan said. "So we figured it was something that would be beneficial to the public."