An Alberta-based organization aimed at creating awareness and helping businesses take action to combat the overdose crisis is garnering more attention.
Businesses are taking matters into their own hands by adopting life-saving supports within their walls.
It’s only been a few days that Edmonton’s Arcadia Brewing, located between Westmount and Queen Mary Park, has put up a new sign in its window that says Naloxone, the medication used to reverse an overdose, is on-site.
“You might think that this only happened in the downtown core, but it can happen anywhere, so that’s why we’re taking the measures to be safe and secure for people in the community, ” Arcadia Brewing owner Darren McGeown said.
It wasn’t long ago that Arcadia heard about Each and Every, an Alberta-based national organization of collective businesses that work to prevent overdose deaths.
“We do targeted action campaigns like bringing Naloxone into businesses and having those businesses announce and broadcast that they’ve got Naloxone in site,” said Euan Thomson, Each and Every co-founder.
The organization was created after seeing the toll the drug crisis has had on businesses.
“Overdoses happen in and around businesses frequently, because there are so few safe sites for people to use drugs, people will go into businesses and will use in the bathroom, for example,” Thomson said.
Recognizing the need, without hesitation McGoeown took the training, brought in Naloxone kits and put up the signs.
“It was something I never thought of doing because I had the mindset that the government and the city will take care of that but that shouldn’t be the case, we should all be fully onboard doing our part,” McGeown said.
“We recognize that businesses have traditionally played a role in opposing these sorts of services and we want to re-write that narrative,” Thomson said.
Thomson said he hopes to destigmatize drug use, and that more businesses will adopt its harm reduction efforts.
Since its start in March of this year, Each and Every has had more than 100 members across the country with about 80 per cent of those in Alberta.
“The more businesses that have it, the better we’ll be…hopefully,” McGeown said.
For more information, interested businesses can visit https://www.eachandevery.org/
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