Universities in Nova Scotia stocking campuses with naloxone kits

At least three Nova Scotia universities are training staff, students and security officers on how to administer naloxone, a potentially life-saving medication, to prepare for the possibility of an opioid overdose on campus.

"We want to do whatever we can to keep our residents safe," said Nicholas Hatt, dean of students at the University of King's College in Halifax.

"So we know that the risk of and the presence of opioids are very real, not only at universities but also certainly within the community at large and we know that our students live in the community, as well, and we want to do what we can to keep them safe."

More than 70 trained

About 70 people on the King's campus were trained earlier this week. Hatt could not say whether opioid use is a problem on the small university campus.

"Just as we prepare for first-aid emergencies, so we have first-aid kits on campus. And just as we have EpiPens available on campus, so we want to have a naloxone kit on campus," Hatt said.

Naloxone kits are available with first-aid kits at King's, which are carried by residence staff and are also accessible through its residence reception desk.

Students can also request their own kit either through the public distribution system at pharmacies or through Dalhousie University's health and wellness office, to which King's students have full access.

Training just one part of solution

The naloxone training at King's is on top of other initiatives the university offers throughout the year to promote alcohol and drug harm reduction.

Cape Breton University has already done training with its security officers on opioid use on campus and expects to train other leaders on campus this week. Its health centre is showing people how to administer naloxone kits.

"We've been watching what's happening in Western Canada and hearing reports about it making its way to Nova Scotia," said John Mayich, Cape Breton University's director of student affairs.

"It's very important that anytime that a substance can cause death, we want to ensure that people are taking this very seriously and taking whatever measures we can into our hands to protect anyone who may be using those substances."

St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish reported that it has not had any opioid issues on campus to date. However, the university says it is being proactive by offering awareness and education during orientation week to all first-year students.

"In addition, we will be deploying naloxone kits and training staff on campus in case there is ever the need," the university's spokesperson Cindy MacKenzie wrote in an email.

St. F.X. is in the process of scheduling training and has not decided how many kits to obtain. The kits will be distributed once training is completed in the fall.

Saint Mary's University will begin an awareness campaign for students next week. The school's senior director of student services, Tom Brophy, said in an emailed statement that SMU has discussed opioids and illegal substances with other post-secondary institutions, the police and the Health Department and is exploring its options for responding to incidents.

Opioid-related deaths across Canada

More than 2,400 Canadians died last year from accidental drug overdoses. Of those deaths, 60 occurred in Nova Scotia. Western Canada experienced the highest rates of opioid-related deaths.

Naloxone kits have already been distributed to paramedics, volunteer medical first responders, sheriffs, corrections officers and police officers across Nova Scotia.