Naloxone kits to be available at some Winnipeg schools

Some Winnipeg school divisions are equipping their schools with kits to treat opioid overdoses.

The Louis Riel School Division (LRSD) said it will be rolling out naloxone kits across all of its schools and training staff to use them this fall.

The "proactive step" reflects a growing need to be prepared for medical emergencies related to opioid use, the division said in an email Monday.

It's estimated that there were more than 280 opioid toxicity deaths in Manitoba between January and September 2024, according to the federal Public Health Agency.

LRSD Superintendent Christian Michalik told Radio-Canada the kit roll out will begin with the division's high schools.

"The opioid crisis is a reality that we all are living with," Michalik said in French.

"It's a preventive measure, similar to the decision of having defibrillators in our schools … Just like a defibrillator, it's there to be the difference between life and death during an emergency."

Naloxone is used to treat overdoses of opioids such as fentanyl, heroin and morphine. It can be administered by nasal spray or injection.

Franco-Manitoban School Division superintendent Alain Laberge said the division began looking into naloxone kits in September 2024.

He said the kits should be available at the division's high schools in the upcoming school year.

"It's better to have it and not need it … than not have it," Laberge told Radio-Canada, adding that the division also has to ensure there's training available on how to identify an opioid overdose and use the kits.

'The numbers are staggering'

It's estimated that there were about 570 substance-related deaths in Manitoba in 2024, according to preliminary numbers from the province. Ten were under the age of 20.

And data from the federal Public Health Agency shows there were 281 apparent opioid toxicity deaths in the province between January and September of last year.

"The numbers are staggering," said Elizabeth Bergen, safe schools consultant with the River East Transcona School Division.

Bergen said the division has outfitted six high schools and one specialized learning environment with two naloxone nasal spray kits, each as part of a pilot project that began last year.

The sites have a minimum of six staff who have been trained on how to administer the spray, she said.

"We wanted to make sure that our students in Grade 9-12 … have received training in what opioid poisoning looks like, the signs and symptoms that it's happening, and they're all aware that there is naloxone as part of the first-aid kit in the office."

Bergen said the school division will expand the number of substance-use councillors next year, with one available to middle school students.