As fentanyl overdoses rise, more life-saving kits needed in province

Plans are afoot to determine how to expand access to kits that could save lives in the event of anotheropioid overdose in Newfoundland and Labrador.

A working group on the antidotenaloxonemet for the first time at Confederation Building in St. John's Tuesday afternoon, bringing together drug awareness groups, pharmacy leaders, health officials and others.

• Mother of 3 among fentanyl-related deaths in St. John's area

Volunteers have stuffed naloxone kitswhich cost $14 each to be sent to 89 sites across the province. But the advisory groupis looking at ways to add more.

"There are a lot of gaps. We need to look at communityservices,such asshelters, housing for youth, our school system. Those are some of the ones that are quite blatant," said GerardYetman, executive director of the AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Labrador.

He also said it would be a good idea for firefighters to be equipped with kits and training.

"The fact isfentanylis here. We have had 18 overdoses, which is very high for a province with our population and likewise, we don't see this going away," Yetman said.

"Weknow theprescriptionofopioidshas beendecreasingand users have been going to thestreetfor theirdrugsand we knowfentanylison our streets."

Calls to 811

Yetman saida provincial awarenesseducation program will be launched in two weeks.

Eastern Health said two of the 18 people who overdosed died. Niki Chapman, a mother of three children, was one of the people killed by a fatal injection of fentanyl-lacedheroin.

Currently, those needing naloxone kits can call the province's 811 heathcare line.

The Department of Health and Community Service said there havebeen 25 calls to the heathline inquiring about where to get a naloxone kit.

That's in addition to153 take home kits that were given out by community partners.