People dying from opioid overdose is an urgent public health crisis across Canada. As a harm reduction strategy, The Works offers a take home naloxone program called Preventing Opioid Overdose in Toronto (POINT). POINT trains people who use opioids, their friends and family to respond to an opioid overdose using naloxone.
Naloxone is a safe medication that reverses the signs of opioid overdose by blocking the effects of opioids in the brain. In Canada naloxone is available in the intramuscular (i.e., injectable) and intranasal (i.e., nasal spray) formulations. Naloxone reverses the effects of opioids including heroin, fentanyl, morphine, methadone, codeine, oxycodone and many others. Naloxone can be given by a spray into the nose or by an injection into the muscle. Naloxone can take between 2 – 5 minutes to work, can last in the body for up to 2 hours and cause withdrawal symptoms.
Naloxone can be easily administered and is the most effective way to reverse an opioid overdose. Getting trained to use naloxone gives you the skills to help save someone’s life in an overdose situation. The Works provides POINT training and naloxone kits for FREE to opioid users, their friends, and family.
POINT training takes less than 20 minutes and provides you with information on preventing, recognizing, and responding to overdose. Trained clients will receive a kit with two doses of naloxone and everything needed to administer the naloxone.
POINT is offered at The Works Monday to Friday and on the Works van in the evenings. Clients are encouraged to call The Works at 416-392-0520 to request a POINT training.
NOTE: The Works cannot provide naloxone kits for staff at community organizations. Naloxone for your first aid kit can be purchased through a local pharmacy.