Opioid Overdose Prevention Training and Community-Based Naloxone Distribution in Ontario

Death from drug-related overdose is a leading cause of accidental death in Ontario. Opioid overdose is a major public health concern requiring attention through targeted intervention strategies (Walley et al., 2013; Fischer et al., 2008). Each year in Ontario between 300 and 400 people die from overdose involving prescription opioids, most commonly oxycodone (OPDP Notice, 2012).With the removal of OxyContin from the Canadian market and replacement by a new tamper-proof formulation of the oxycodone-based medication, OxyNeo in March 2012, thousands of people are at greater risk of accidental overdose as they transition to using other substances and opioids.

Removing OxyContin from the Canadian market, delisting OxyNeo from the Ontario Drug Benefit Program, in conjunction with implementing a narcotics monitoring database are intended to curb the number of people addicted to opiate painkillers but, these alone will not solve the crisis of widespread opioid dependence and misuse. Increased access to support services, treatment, harm reduction measures and prevention education initiatives are required as part of a coordinated response, as recognized by the Honourable Minister of Health, Deb Mathews (MOHLTC Health Bulletins, 2012).

The Ontario Minister of Health convened an Expert Working Group on Narcotic Addiction in early 2012 to provide guidance on Ontario’s opioid crisis. Stemming from their recommendations, “the government has devoted new resources to col¬lect real-time information on withdrawal, expand ac¬cess to addiction treatment and deploy emergency overdose kits across the province, including to First Nation communities” (Honourable Minister of Health, Deb Matthews, 2012).

As of 2011, only two programs in Canada were providing Naloxone kits to their clients in tandem with overdose prevention training. The first was Streetworks in Edmonton (Dong et al., 2012). The second was the Point Program at The Works, Toronto Public Health – the first program in Ontario to pilot this prevention strategy as part of a comprehensive plan to reduce overdose deaths in Toronto. Building on this model, and working in collaboration with its staff, the program has been developed for provincial application with the intention of making Naloxone – a life-saving medicine, accessible to all Ontarians at risk of opioid overdose. British Columbia followed suit, implementing a provincial Naloxone Program in 2012 (Buxton et al., 2012).

Publication Date: 
2013
Location: 
Ontario, Canada