It’s a lesson that takes some young students out of their comfort zone—learning about opioids and naloxone.
“Opioids… are they a type of drug?” asked Frade 10 Ottawa student, Cheyanne.
“I’ve heard of it before, I’m not familiar with it,” said Grade 11 student Eddie Zelaya.
But soon, they could be better equipped to potentially save lives.
“The teachers wanted to be trained and they said the students wanted to be trained,” said Sandra Clarke, the executive director for Advanced Coronary Treatment Foundation.
The foundation says it will be offering a naloxone training program in high schools across Canada, adding to their CPR and defibrillator training already offered for free.
The pilot program was held in four Ottawa high schools in 2019, involving 15 teachers and 168 students.
“The teachers will teach them what are opioids are, how opioid overdoses happen, what naloxone is, how to recognize an opioid overdose, and how to respond,” said Clarke.
The Public Health Agency of Canada reports 5,368 Canadians died between January and September in 2021 from opioid overdoses. With Canadians aged 15 to 24 cited as the fastest growing population hospitalized.
The training program is something high school teacher Jessie Lavallee wished she had access to growing up.
“Having that in my back pocket would have been valuable to myself and friends,” said Lavallee. “It’s just a good tool to have for all kids, whether or not they need it for themselves, a stranger, or a family member.”
The foundation aims to train 350,000 students across the country starting this fall. Many here in Ottawa are open to learning an extra skill to help someone in need.
“I’m trained in first aid but I haven’t done anything in overdose. I think that would be a good first step,” said Zelaya.
