Education fights overdose crisis with naloxone workshops
Harm Reduction Calgary is hosting free naloxone demonstrations to build community confidence and break stigma around overdose response.
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As Calgary's Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre closes its safe consumption site at the end of June, community organizations are stepping up to provide overdose prevention education.
Charlie Margo, who works for Harm Reduction Calgary, has been hosting naloxone demonstration workshops at Inspire to educate the community on overdose prevention and response. The first two workshops drew 15 to 20 and six to seven people respectively, with a third scheduled for June 11.
"The main goal with our naloxone demonstrations is not just necessarily to teach or show people how to respond to an overdose, but also just how to break down the stigma that they might not be aware of is contributing to the issue," Margo said.
Using precise terminology — "people in active use" rather than terms like "crackhead" or "junkie" — can make a real difference in conversations about addiction, Margo explained. Building understanding reduces fear.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, naloxone is a medicine that can save lives when someone is experiencing an overdose. Anyone, including teens, can carry and administer it as a nasal spray or injection while waiting for medical help.
The workshops are free for anyone in the community to attend. Free take-home naloxone kits are available at almost all participating local pharmacies, and pharmacists provide a ten-minute training on how to respond to an overdose. Locations are listed at albertahealthservices.ca.