Residents in the Village of Rockyford will soon have the opportunity to receive training to administer naloxone in the event of an opioid overdose after the village council voted in favour of hosting a training session during the regular Wednesday, July 13 council meeting.
The request came from Wheatland Family and Community Support Services (WFCSS) for International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31.
Due to a rising number of opioid related overdoses, Alberta Health Services made naloxone kits and training available at no cost to the general public in January 2016. The kits contain simplified instructions on how to administer naloxone in the event of an overdose.
Between 2019 and 2021, the number of apparent opioid toxicity related deaths increased exponentially. In 2019 there were a total of 626 apparent opioid toxicity deaths in Alberta; this number nearly doubled by 2020, with a total of 1,182 deaths, and in 2021 there were 1,618 apparent opioid toxicity deaths according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Council approved the request from WFCSS; a date and location for the training will be announced at a later date.
