Helping save lives: 2,300 teachers received the Opioid Overdose Response Training to teach high school students how to react when facing a suspected opioid overdose
09 Mayo 2024 - 8:31AM
The Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation announced today it
has completed Phase 1 of its Opioid Overdose Response Training
(OORT). As a result, 2,300 teachers from 830 high schools in Canada
are now equipped to teach their students in how to respond to a
suspected opioid overdose.
The training allows teachers to teach
students:
- What are opioids and how do opioid overdoses happen
- What is Naloxone and how does it work
- Recognizing a suspected opioid overdose
- Responding to a suspected opioid overdose, including calling
911 quickly, performing CPR if needed, and giving
nasal Naloxone spray
The Opioid Overdose Response Training module,
launched in 2022, is an enhancement to the ACT Foundation’s
successful high school cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and
automated external defibrillator (AED) program, free for high
schools.
Thanks to the number of teachers trained with the
OORT so far, more than 160,000 students each year could be
empowered to respond to a suspected opioid overdose as part of
their CPR and AED training in high schools.
The ACT Foundation received a contribution from
Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) from
January 2021 to March 2024. This contribution was in support of the
development and implementation of the module on Opioid Overdose
Response Training in Canadian provinces where the ACT Foundation
has widely established the High School CPR and AED Program.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada,
5,975 apparent opioid toxicity deaths were reported from January to
September 2023. The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
notes the majority (94%) of opioid overdose deaths happen by
accident, and young Canadians aged 15 to 24 are the fastest-growing
population requiring hospital care from opioid overdoses.
“The landscape of emergency response is changing in
Canada due to the increase of opioid overdoses and, as a society,
we all have a role to play,” says Sandra Clarke, the ACT
Foundation’s Executive Director. “Enhancing ACT’s High School CPR
and AED Program with opioid awareness and response training is an
important step in empowering youth to respond to life-threatening
emergencies. We are happy for the achievement of this milestone,
but we are far from being done. Yes, Phase 1 is completed, but we
want to reach more students. Our trainings need public and private
partners committed to help ACT to expand its programs to more high
schools in Canada.”
“The opioid crisis is a complex issue and causes
many of the opioid-related harms and deaths. ACT’s response to this
crisis provides high school teachers with the tools to add the
Opioid Overdose Response Training to the current CPR training,
enhancing students’ lifesaving toolbox. Recognizing a suspected
opioid overdose and knowing how to respond can help save lives,”
says Dr. Michael Austin, ACT’s National Medical Director.
ACT’s overall goal is to see every high school
student across Canada graduate with the confidence, skills, and
knowledge to save a life. To help achieve this goal, ACT receives
the financial support from private and public organizations who
believe in the positive impact ACT can play in Canada’s
society.
“As a founding partner of the ACT Foundation, we
are proud of the incredible impact being made to empower youth
across Canada with critical life-saving skills, including the
Opioid Overdose Response Training,” says Gaby Bourbara, President,
AstraZeneca Canada. “On behalf of AstraZeneca Canada, we
congratulate the ACT Foundation for achieving today’s milestone,
helping to build stronger, healthier communities.”
“On behalf of all the staff at Amgen Canada, I want
to congratulate the ACT Foundation for the completion of Phase 1 of
its Opioid Overdose Response Training. ACT is a pioneer in
establishing free CPR and AED training in high schools in Canada
and I am confident that this announcement is just the beginning of
the expansion of ACT’s footprint when it comes to supporting
youth,” mentions Ugur Gunaydin, Vice-President and General Manager,
Amgen Canada.
About the ACT FoundationThe ACT
Foundation is the national charitable organization establishing
free CPR and AED training in Canadian high schools, and how to
respond to a suspected opioid overdose, a new aspect of the
program. The program is built on ACT’s award-winning,
community-based model of partnerships and support, whereby ACT
finds partners who donate the mannequins and AED training units
that schools need to deliver the program. High school teachers are
trained to then teach lifesaving skills to their students as a
regular part of the curriculum, reaching all youth prior to
graduation. The ACT High School CPR and AED Program is made
possible with the support of its national health partners,
AstraZeneca Canada and Amgen Canada, and provincial and community
partners. The ACT Foundation gratefully acknowledges the
contribution of Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions
Program (SUAP) for the ACT Opioid Overdose Response Training
program.
Website: actfoundation.caTwitter: @actfoundation
#ACT2SaveFacebook: @theactfoundationInstagram:
@theactfoundationYouTube: YouTube.com/theactfoundation
For more information about the ACT Foundation and
the ACT Opioid Overdose Response Training, contact:
Christian
AhuetDirector, Health and Life SciencesNATIONAL Public
Relationscahuet@national.caTel: 514-994-7496 |
Jennifer
RussellDirector of OperationsACT
Foundationjrussell@actfoundation.caCell: 613-286-5260 |
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/814ad809-e164-4ce7-8250-d143c2b6faf5