Western students trained to treat opioid overdoses

For the first time, Western University students who respond to medical emergencies on campus are armed with kits that treat opioid overdoses.

That could prove to be a life-saver at the well-known party school.

The Naloxone kits were requested by the student volunteers that make up the Student Emergency Response Team (SERT) and all 50 were trained how to use them, said Pardis Baha, a Wesern student and SERTexecutive director.

• The ABCs of preventing opioid damage as students head back to school

"Naloxone is a new addition. We've made the addition as a proactive step. There is an opioid concern nationwide and that concern seems to be growing and we're just being proactive in dealing with it on campus," Bahasaid.

"Our responders have been trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of drug poisoningspecifically attributed to opioids and they've all been trained to use the Naloxone kits that we carry, so should that arise on call, we will be prepared to respond accordingly."

Last year, Health Canada records indicate there were almost 2,500 opioid-related deaths in the country.

Students asked to be on alert

The agency released an alert about drug and alcohol consumption among students ahead of Frosh week. Tips included how to recognize the symptoms of opioid overdose.

Fentanyl, a powerful opioid, has been found in party drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy, which are popular among some students.

• Health Canada asks students to be safe for Frosh Week

Earlier this summer, the Middlesex London Health Unit warned Londoners that fentanyl had been found in the urine of drug users who said they'd only smoked marijuana.

"Maybe students are unaware of something that could be in their drug, and if they do experience some sort of opioid crisis or drug poisoning, we're there to help them as best we can," said Brook Lynne Hertner, one of the 50 SERTmembers.

Added Baha: "Our bringing Naloxone on isn't necessarily in response to any sort of concerns on campus. It's just a preventative and proactive step to make sure we're prepared in case it ever was to pop up within our demographic."

Listen to Pardis Baha's interview with London Morning here.

Helping students since 1989

The SERTteam is a group of students who responds to 911 emergencies on Western's campus.

Student volunteers are dispatched through campus police, workalongside MiddlesexLondon EMS and handle everything from allergic reactions to cardiac arrests, and everything in between.

"During the year, we get three to four calls in a day shift, none or 10 on weekend nights. It all works out to 900 calls in a given school year," said team member Mike De Wit.

"During the week, the responder goes to classes, but if they're on call, they might have to leave class and run to the call or use the van that we use to drive to the call with the warning lights flashing."

Campus police dispatchers triage calls, sometimes calling just the SERTand other times patching in Middlesex London EMS.

Often, the SERT is the first on the scene of an emergency because of proximity and familiarity with the campus.

The team members go through 100 hours of medical training when they begin, and five hours a month of additional training. The opioidtoxicity training was part of the most recent training course.