Free naloxone kits and training are being made available to businesses in Peterborough.
On Friday, the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area and the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce announced the initiative to educate the business community on how to help during an opioid overdose, if the need arises.
Naloxone is a powerful medication used to block or counter the effects of an opioid overdose.
Four training sessions have been planned for Nov. 18 and Nov. 19 at Venture North on 270 George St. N. The 20-minute sessions will be limited to nine attendees who will each be offered a free naloxone kit.
The training sessions will be led by pharmacist Engi Hakim, the pharmacy manager at Aylmer Street Pharmacy.
Late last month, the Peterborough Police Services Board reported there have been 34 drug-related deaths to date in 2020.
“We are privileged to be in a position to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and support our communities in combatting the many negative impacts of the opioid crisis,” Hakim said.
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“The death toll is staggering, not to mention the many lives that are not fully realized as a result of opioid addiction. Shame prevents so many from seeking help — it takes a village to get people into recovery, we are trying our best to do our part.”
In 2019, the DBIA hosted similar naloxone training sessions with Peterborough Public Health and PARN (Peterborough AIDS Resource Network).
“We need partnerships like this to fight the opioid crisis here in Peterborough,” said Terry Guiel, DBIA executive director of the DBIA.
“Action begins when we start asking what we can do. Learning to administer naloxone isn’t hard. I hope we can inspire more people from the community to learn this vital life-saving skill or come in for a refresher on how to use the kits.”
DBIA and Peterborough Chamber of Commerce members are asked to register for one of the series dates by connecting to the link on the DBIA website.
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