The numbers are startling. The rise in opiod-related deaths among our youth has been vastly reported.
Now, students in this province have access to medication that can help prevent overdoses. Schools, the board overseeing the English-speaking school district, notified parents this week that Naloxone kits have been added to first aid supplies for all schools with junior and senior high students.

It said the decision was prompted by the increasing numbers of deaths and medical emergencies across Canada, noting young people aged 15-24 are the fastest-growing population requiring hospital care from opiod overdoses.

In February, the provincial government announced it was increasing availability of the kits throughout the province through its provincial take home Naloxone program, increasing the number of distribution sites from 100 to 130. Since the program’s inception in 2016, closes to 20,000 Naloxone kits have been distributed.