The death of a University of Victoria student in January has led to a series of early actions for post-secondary institutions to follow in the event of an overdose on campus.
The Ministry of Post-Secondary Education says a steering committee has identified actions, including clarifying how to contact emergency services, expanding awareness of toxic drug alerts and overdose prevention, and ensuring consistent access to naloxone.
They add they are developing medical response guidelines, ordering nasal naloxone that will be distributed to the 26 public post-secondary institutions and launching an overdose awareness campaign that will be rolled out during the fall semester.
The review comes after the coroner called an inquest into the fatal overdose in January of a UVic student Sidney McIntyre-Starko, whose parents say she died after a delay in administering naloxone and starting CPR.
The ministry says the steering committee, which was formed in May, will continue to meet this summer to establish a province-wide response that will be implemented at all of B.C.’s public post-secondary institutions by the fall semester.
In an email to Black Press Media, Caroline McIntyre, Sidney's mother, said this is a good start but hopes universities enact a similar rule to the Canadian Good Samaritan Overdose Act.
"A rule that explicitly states that students will not get in trouble or risk penalties if they call for help for a medical emergency related to drugs," McIntyre said in the email.
One of the biggest barriers for young people to come forward is the fear of getting in trouble with authorities or being kicked out of school. According to McIntyre, they have asked Minister of Post-Secondary Education Lisa Beare to explore this option.
Such practices may include training guidelines for campus security personnel, communication guidelines for institutions during a medical emergency, and developing best practices for communication protocols on emergency contacts.
"This must never happen again. Students need the tools to save themselves and each other. I am hoping this committee will give them what they need," McIntyre said.
READ ALSO: Lessons learnt at University of Victoria after Sidney McIntyre-Starko overdose
READ ALSO: University of Victoria placing 89 naloxone kits in student common areas
