Whereas Provincial Health Officer Dr. Perry Kendall declared the first public provincial health emergency in Canada on April 14th 2016 in response to the unprecedented rise in illicit drug overdoses across the province; And whereas there are no protocols for naloxone, a lifesaving medication that temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, available in schools to support teachers and staff in in the event of student overdoses while on school property: Therefore be it resolved that the Minister of Health, Minister of Education and Minister of Children and Family Development jointly create provincial standards for elementary, middle and secondary schools province wide to address drug use and potential incidents of overdose in BC schools including protocols for training and administration of Naloxone Narcan.
Ministry of Mental Health Addictions The Province understands that parents and people who work with children and youth want to do everything they can to keep kids safe, especially in the context of BCs illegal drug overdose epidemic. Educators and parents should be reassured that youth comprise a very small percentage of fatal overdosesabout 1.5. However, this is not to say that youth of school age are not affected or not at risk. In 2016, 12 deaths among youth between the ages of 13 and 18 were reported, and 23 further deaths were reported in 2017. To date, there have been no deaths in youth under 13 years of age, and no overdose deaths have occurred in a BC school. With this information, the Province agrees with the assessment from the Provincial Health Officer that schools are not a high-risk environment at this time. However, if a school administrator knows that a school has a high-risk population or is aware of students using drugs on or near school grounds, in addition to referral and support protocols the school may have, the Provincial Health Officer has recommended obtaining a naloxone kit for the school and ensuring a person is available who is trained to administer it. Communication to school superintendents and independent school administrators on this analysis and recommendation was sent in 2016. Since then, the Province released a naloxone risk assessment tool to support organizations in determining risk of overdose in their setting, and whether staff should carry naloxone to administer to an employee, client, or member of the public in the event of an overdose. Links to the naloxone risk assessment tool and online training are provided below. It is well known that a subset of youth tend to experiment with substances; therefore, the Province is focused on the critical importance around education, early intervention, and prevention initiatives that encourage awareness of naloxone and safer drug practices among children and youth. Online training for naloxone administration: http:towardtheheart.comopioid-od-awareness Naloxone Risk Assessment Tool: https:www2.gov.bc.caassetsgovoverdose-awarenessnaloxoneriskassessment-n… Naloxone site finder, to access Take Home Naloxone kits to those who are at risk of overdose or are likely to witness and respond to an overdose: http:towardtheheart.comsite-finder