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Thursday, March 3, 2016 Trail Times
LOCAL
Naloxone kits allow timely response to drug overdoses
CONTINUED FROM A1 as OxyContin or heroin, which have become more mainstream. “There was at one point in British Columbia a clear geography where we would see overdose deaths and that was in the ’90s in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver,” he explained. “But illicit markets and specifically opioids within the market are now a common place everywhere, including some of the newer more potent
opioids such as hydromorphone or fentanyl, so it has opened the door, so to speak, to substance users, those with addictions but also recreational users as well.” Interior Health has followed the increasing overdose trend for some years but the rise in the past 24 months has been steadfast. Dr. Corneil said the surge could partly be attributed to the introduction of fentanyl into the illicit market, much like cheap manu-
factured heroin made its wave in Vancouver in 1993, or when crack cocaine became freely available in 1998. “We think this (overdose trend) may be related to fentanyl, but we are not able to link the two,” he added. “But it is important everyone knows that two-thirds of deaths are due to other drug cocktails, so to speak, in particular, those cocktails that contain opiates,” he added. Fentanyl is a potent, synthetic drug that is
commonly used in preprocedures as a pain reliever. The opioid is approximately 80 to 100 times more potent than morphine and roughly 40 to 50 times more potent than pharmaceutical grade (100 per cent pure) heroin. The drug was first synthesized in 1960 and has grown in popularity as time has passed. As of 2012, fentanyl was the most widely used synthetic opioid in clinical practice, with several new delivery methods in-
OBITUARIES & FUNERAL NOTICES Michael Yakimchuk
Lorraine Redding (Tough) Our Mom, Lorraine Redding (Tough) who was in her 92nd year, passed away peacefully the evening of February 24, 2016 at Silver Kettle Village, Grand Forks, B.C. She was born in Kirkfield, Ont. on February 22, 1924 and later moved west with her family to settle on a farm near Drumheller, Alberta. Mom went on to attend the Holy Cross Hospital School of Nursing in Calgary, where she trained to become an RN. She worked as a surgery nurse until being offered a position at the Grand Forks Hospital in 1947. It was here that she met and fell in love with our Dad, Clare Redding. They married in 1949. After a short time in the Central Interior, they settled in Trail, B.C. to raise their two children. In their retirement, they returned to Grand Forks and enjoyed many years of golfing, lawn bowling, motor homing, and spending time with their children and grandchildren. Their greatest joy was wintering with their many friends in the Palm Spring area. Mom was predeceased by Dad in the summer of 2010. She is survived by her sister, Melva (Ross) Pennoyer of Calgary, and their family. She will be sorely missed by her son Gordon (Marci) Redding and their children, Allison (Darcy) and Marlese (Wes) and her daughter Diane (Timm) Williams and their children, Chase and Kayla. Mom would always make us smile when she sat on the floor playing with her great grandchildren, Ava, Sophia, Devin and Juniper. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to The Auxiliary to the Boundary Hospital, Box 1074, Grand Forks, B.C., V0H 1H2. Mom was a member of and volunteered with the Hospital Auxiliary for many years. At her request, we will have a Celebration of Life for Mom’s friends and relatives at the Omega Restaurant, Grand Forks, B.C. on April 16, 2016 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Dec 7, 1919 - Feb 28, 2016 The family of Michael Yakimchuk regrets to announce his passing on February 28, 2016 at 96 years of age. He passed suddenly after a short stay in Rosewood Village. He leaves to mourn wife of 67 years, Emily, daughter Audrey Dye (Willie) of Williams Lake, grandson Kelly(Yolanda) Dye of Sun Peaks, and their two daughters Olivia and Ava, grandson Jeffrey, (Andrea) Dye of Manila, Philippines and Vancouver, his sister Sandra Fedoruk of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and many nieces and nephews in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Michael was predeceased by four brothers and his son David Yakimchuk. Michael was born near Carpenter, Saskatchewan, and spent his childhood years on the family farm. He joined the army and served overseas during WWII, in England, Belgium and Holland. He returned from the war to Saskatoon for a short while. He moved to Trail in 1947, on recommendation from a friend, and found employment with the CM & S Company. Michael worked for Cominco until retirement in 1979. He and Emily were married on January 30, 1949. They spent many years at their home on Turner Street in Annabel, raising their family and enjoying lifelong friendships with their neighbors in that community. Michael was a lifetime member of the Knights of Pythias and was proud to have served a term as BC Grand Chancellor. He liked to spend time at the “cabin” on Kootenay Lake fishing or just enjoying the scenery and solitude. The family would like to thank the staff at Columbia View and Rosewood Village for their care over the last year and to Dr. Philips for Dad’s care over the last 36 years. There will be a graveside service and reception later in the spring. Jordan Wren of Alternatives Funeral and Cremation Services™ has been entrusted with arrangements. You are invited to leave a personal message of condolence at the family’s online register at www.myalternatives.ca
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cluding a sublingual spray for cancer patients. Since 2015, Canada has seen widespread fentanyl overdoses, which have been fatal among a vast group of users from teens experimenting for the first time to frequent users. Alex Sherstobitoff, Rise Up community engagement coordinator for Nelson’s ANKORS, said fentanyl is here, and there is a 30 per cent increase in overdose death when fentanyl is taken. “When we talk about fentanyl it’s a mixed bag,” he said, referring to the form created and distributed by organized crime. “They don’t have a scientist working on perfecting this drug, it’s just some schmo who’s working for an organized crime that’s mixing this drug, and it’s rudimentary,” he explained. “It’s not mixed properly so sometimes you can get a pill and there’s very little to nothing, and sometimes you can get a pill, and it’s extremely potent and can kill somebody who’s been using drugs for years.” While fentanyl is making headlines, Sherstobitoff doesn’t discount other opioids like heroin, which has made a come back in the West Kootenay. There is no concrete reason for the recent popularity, he adds, but one theory could be tied to a cut back on prescription opioids
and the need to fill that gap. ANKORS best defense remains the Naloxone kit. The Take Home Naloxone program trains participants to recognize and respond to an overdose situation through reversal. In such an event, the Narcan solution injected restores breathing within two to five minutes of administration and offers a life line while waiting for help to arrive. The kits are available at ANKORS, a non-profit society that serves the vulnerable living with and at the greatest risk of acquiring HIV, AIDS and or HCV, due to substance use, mental illness, sexual orientation, gender identity, race and ethnicity. But the kits can also be picked up by at-risk patients through the Trail and Castlegar emergency departments, after a short training session is delivered by a professional. Sherstobitoff said ANKORS alone has completed about 300 training sessions for overdose prevention, given out approximately 110 Naloxone kits and has received feedback on 18 reversals executed. Though ANKORS relies mostly on anecdotal evidence, he acknowledges a growing overdose trend in the region and is working toward making connections with other
agencies that serve the most vulnerable populations. He stands behind continued dialogue on all facets of drug addiction from prevention to education, treatment, corrections, enforcement, and harm reduction. Part of this conversation should stem to non-fatal overdoses, adds Dr. Corneil. Though these are difficult to track because they don’t always occur in hospital, he said there will be a focus on documenting and collecting this data. Within the next six months, Interior Health will be implementing enhanced surveillance in its emergency rooms. “We are looking at how predictive those flags are and our overall risk score of overdose deaths over time,” he said. “It will be an interesting endeavor that every health authority is undertaking to try and get a better handle on prevention. “But when we see trends like this over years and then increasingly over months, we don’t need to do surveillance per se to know something is happening, and we need to get the information out there.” Interior Health’s mental health and substance use services can be reached by phone in Trail at 250-364-6262 or in Nelson at 250505-7248. ANKORS in Nelson can be reached at 1-800-421-2437.
Combining Salmo schools top reconfiguration option
NELSON STAR Salmo elementary school would close and Salmo secondary would be reconfigured as a K-12 in the topranked option presented at a public meeting Tuesday. The Kootenay Lake school district presented seven possibilities to the 35 or so people who turned out. Four involved closing Salmo elementary, including the top three. The second-ranked alternative would see Salmo secondary become a K-9 and Grades 10 to 12 bussed to L.V. Rogers in Nelson. However, secretary-treasurer Kim Morris said that option “isn’t highly supported” by the community. Morris added there does seem to be support for combining the elementary and secondary schools provided space can added to the latter, which is the third option.
“If we were to get a new build or an addition is there a partner like a daycare society, library, or [government] ministry that is also looking for a new build that could partner with us? New builds are excellent opportunities for partnerships as usually more than one organization in a community is looking for capital for new or updated space.” The fourth option would see Salmo elementary become a K-5 and Salmo secondary a 6-12. The fifth option would make the elementary school a K-4 and the secondary school a 5-12. (Presently Salmo elementary has K-6 and Salmo secondary Grades 7 to 12.) The sixth option would turn Salmo secondary into a K-7, with Grades 8 to 12 bussed to L.V. Rogers. The last option involves creating a trades and apprenticeship program at Salmo secondary to build enrolment.