Overdose Prevention – NEW
Workshop Intro:
Approximately 90% of overdose fatalities happen indoors, where people are using drugs in the privacy of their homes. This session will cover overdose prevention, identification and naloxone administration in the housing co-op setting.
2:30 am – 4:45 pm
Co-operative Housing Education Conference – Westin Wall Centre, Richmond.
For more details view the flyer here and to register visit the event listing.
There are many places in Vancouver (mostly in the Downtown East Side) for people to inject previously obtained substances under observation; however people will continue to use drugs in the privacy of their own homes for many reasons.
The purpose of this workshop is to examine the unique needs of overdose prevention in co-op housing. Participants of this session will learn about educational and supply resources, tools to help assess overdose risk for unique settings, and drug checking and overdose surveillance reporting. Participants will also learn about community resources that are useful for all people at risk of an opioid overdose. These resources include information about the Overdose Outreach Team, Opioid Agonist Therapy (Suboxone and methadone) and Peer support.
The presenters will train participants to both identify when someone is at risk for overdose, and how to administer naloxone. Naloxone kits will be available.
Workshop facilitators: Shannon Riley and Kali Sedgemore
Shannon is a Registered Nurse and a Clinical Educator for the Overdose Emergency Response for Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) in British Columbia, Canada. She has been working in the overdose response since the emergency was declared in April 2016. At this time Shannon had just completed her Masters in Public Policy which focused on overdose prevention in housing settings.
Kali has been in their current role as a Harm Reduction Leader with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) for a year. Their focus has been both outreach and leading Take Home Naloxone training. Kali also represents the youth peer voice at the Harm Reduction Strategies and Services Committee meeting for the VCH Region.