Five hundred doses of nasal naloxone will be distributed across campus early in the academic year by the province’s Post-Secondary Overdose Prevention Steering Committee.
The Post-Secondary Overdose Prevention Steering Committee was formed in May and is tasked with reviewing policies and recommending best practices in overdose prevention and response for BC post-secondary institutions. UBC Associate Vice President, Student Housing and Community Services Andrew Parr sits on the committee.
The work of the committee was “critically important,” said Parr, as it brought “a number of experts together to talk about the severity of the crisis and what we can do in the post-secondary institution world to mitigate the risks [of substance use].”
In 2016, BC declared the toxic drug crisis a public health emergency. From January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2023, there were 126 unregulated drug toxicity deaths in BC of people under 19 years old, making unregulated drug toxicity the leading cause of unnatural death among youth.
The 500 doses of nasal naloxone will be held in 250 new naloxone cabinets which will be installed across UBC’s campuses and residence buildings. Parr said nasal naloxone has a lower barrier to use than injection-use naloxone, which is currently in residence.
Since 2016, Naloxone has been available at UBC residence commonsblocks since 2016. In 2021, The Ubyssey reported that residence advisors (RA) do not receive naloxone training, but according to a September UBC news release RAs receive substance overdose training. Campus Security officers are also naloxone trained.
"We felt that was really important [to have naloxone in residence] as this crisis began and became greater," said Parr. "Even five or six years ago, to have those kits available and make students aware of them being available [could help them] act quickly if an overdose ... in residence was to occur."
Naloxone doses in residence are for emergency use and will not be directly distributed to students, said Parr. Students can access personal naloxone kits and training at the UBC Wellness Centre, Student Health Services, AMS SASC and Peer Support and at BC pharmacies.
Parr said naloxone kits in residence increases student access and awareness on naloxone and harm reduction. He also said naloxone installations in first-year residences are complete, and upper-year residences will have additional naloxone doses by October.
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