A free community event next week will give the public a chance to learn about how to prevent and respond to drug overdoses, and to pick up a free take-home naloxone kit.
Fraser Health and the Tri-Cities Homelessness and Housing Task Group are hosting the event on Tuesday at Port Coquitlam's Trinity United Church and it is open to all, whether you are a concerned citizen, are taking prescription opioids, are a drug user, or a friend or family member of a drug user.
Sandy Burpee, who chairs the task group, said the information is going out to the community at large, as well as through the group's distribution list, the Tri-Cities Youth Committee network and other service providers.
Next week's session is actually the second one this summer; there was a similar one last month for clients and support workers at the homeless shelter at 3030 Gordon Ave. in Coquitlam.
Fraser Health is expanding its outreach strategy, which began last fall, in the wake of a growing number of drug overdoses, with take-home naloxone kits given to patients attending emergency rooms for overdoses and police officers and firefighters also being trained in how to administer the opioid antidote.
In July, five people in a Coquitlam home were found to have overdosed on multiple substances, though it wasn't confirmed whether fentanyl was involved, and there have been dozens more ODs in Surrey.
But Burpee said overdoses can happen unexpectedly and, as with learning CPR, being prepared is essential.
"I think all of us are potentially impacted by the drug abuse in our community; sometimes it's in places and people we wouldn't anticipate," he said. "When it comes to overdoses, one of the best defences is to be informed and be ready to respond."
Apart from actually injecting naloxone, there are other things bystanders can do for people who are overdosing, once the symptoms are known.
"It's a public health initiative with the intent to create community awareness," Burpee said.
• The free, drop-in event is on Tuesday, Aug. 9 at Trinity United Church (2211 Prairie Ave., Port Coquitlam) from 7 to 9 p.m.
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