Locals reminded of important of naloxone kits amidst overdose advisory in Fort St John

Residents of Fort St John can take steps to ensure everyone’s safety while the city is still subject to an overdose advisory.  

Northern Health cautioned people in Fort St John by issuing an overdose advisory last week. Those who use substances were advised to use them while supervised, have their drugs tested at the city’s overdose prevention site on 98 Street, and to use small amounts first.  

Cassandra Baker, Northern Health’s substance use resource nurse based out of the northeast, said the organization issued an advisory as they could not identify the exact drug causing the lethargy and naloxone-resistant poisonings. 

“(The advisory) means there’s been an increase in overdose events in our community – there’s been people reported to be experiencing heavy and prolonged sedation and needing more naloxone to reverse the effects,” said Baker, who clarified the advisory is the broader of the notice types.  

People who do not use drugs in Fort St John may encounter someone who is overdosing on the street, Baker suggested residents carry naloxone, which swaps places with opioids on the brain’s receptors to reverse the effects – however, if they do not carry a Narcan kit, Baker said there are still actions they can take to ensure the person who is overdosing remains safe.  

“The first thing would be calling 9-1-1 for sure,” she explained. “I would recommend staying with the person (who is overdosing) just to make sure they stay safe, and staying on the line with 9-1-1 to keep them updated.” 

When speaking with emergency services, residents need not worry about the Mounties being sent to the scene.  

“For any overdose calls in B.C., at least, if the call is primarily because of a suspected overdose, and there aren’t public safety concerns, police do not routinely attend those calls,” explained Baker.  

People should also scan the area to see if someone else is available to look for a passerby or pharmacy with a naloxone kit to immediately help with the situation. To learn how to use the kit, she recommended using the province’s Toward the Heart course, which is self-guided and educates residents on recognizing and responding to opioid poisonings.  

The course is approximately one-hour long and may help people feel comfortable about administering Narcan kits, the kits aren’t necessarily complicated to operate, Baker said, but they may become difficult to work if a person is unprepared and confronted with in an actual emergency in front of them.  

“If you go to a pharmacy or hospital, the pharmacist or nurse at the hospital would be able to go through training with you as well to make it a little bit more comfortable, because it does involve opening glass ampoules and drawing the medication up,” she explained.  

One element of administering a naloxone kit is drawing medication out of the ampoule, which is small glass container with a pre-measured dosage of the medication, into the syringe. Baker has run several courses and said people tend to feel more comfortable using the free opioid poisoning reversal kits after receiving proper training. 

Northern Health’s advisory for the city will expire on September 4, assuming the regional health authority is comfortable removing the notice for residents.