Ottawa Public Health targets schools in overdose prevention outreach

When it comes to educating the public about the dangers of fentanyl, health officials in Ottawa are broadening their scope to include high school students. 

Ottawa Public Health said it has reached out to addiction counsellors at school boards across the city to inform them about their "Stop Overdose Ottawa" website and campaign.

The site provides information about the dangers of fentanyl and the opioid carfentanil, which is approximately 100 times more toxic than fentanyl and 10,000 times more toxic than morphine.

"Over the last number of months, we've been hearing more about stronger opioids," said Dr. Vera Etches, deputy medical officer of health for Ottawa Public Health. 

"This is a long-standing challenge for people of all ages and so schools are one target audience."

According to Ottawa Public Health, in 2015 there were approximately 50 overdose deaths in the city. Twenty-nine were due to opioids and 14 of those involved fentanyl.

Etches said the health authority isn't aware of any overdoses happening at schools in the capital, but she believes the danger is there.

"We now have counterfeit pills in our community and those potentially contain substances like illicit fentanyl," she said.

"We want to get the message out that if parents, friends and families are concerned about someone's drug use that they can access the kit that contains the antidote naloxone."

Free naloxone kits are available through the health authority and some pharmacies, but they are not currently given out at high schools. 

"The reality is that overdoses don't happen on school property, so it's not something...that they need on hand," said Etches.

Students, including those younger than 18, can pick up a free kit after they've received training on how to properly administer the antidote.

Youth using some form of opioid

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health's 2015 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey found 10 per cent of students reported the non-medical use of prescription opioid pain relievers, such as codeine, Percocet, Percodan, Demerol and Tylenol No. 3.

The survey used anonymous questionnaires administered in classrooms, including 10,426 students from Grade 7 to 12 at 220 schools in the province between November 2014 and June 2015.

"We know that there's a lot of youth who are using opioids, particularly prescription opioids, primarily taken from their parents' medicine cabinets," said Rob Boyd, director of the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre.

"Now with the emergence of the more lethal forms of fentanyl out there, some of which are coming in pill form, they're not going to know exactly what is a pharmaceutical pill and what is a illicit fentanyl." 

Boyd said educating students about the dangers associated with taking fentanyl, as well as the steps they can take to minimize the risk is critical.

"In terms of overdose, fentanyl is king. Fentanyl is the drug that is causing the most overdoses in the province of Ontario and we're anticipating that this number is going to climb," he said.

"I think it is helpful to let youth know about the naloxone kits and perhaps even have some kits [at schools] and do the training in the school with them so that they have an opportunity to learn the signs and symptoms of overdoses," said Boyd.

"Then, hopefully, they will feel confident enough to go into pharmacies to pick up the kits themselves."