Responding to media coverage regarding the rise in use of overdose-reversing drug, naloxone, by the NI Ambulance Service, Eoin Ryan, Head of Harm Reduction at Simon Community NI commented:
The 40% increase in the administration of naloxone, which has been reported by the NI Ambulance Service, is only a brief glimpse of the drugs crisis in Northern Ireland. All support staff at Simon Community are trained to administer naloxone and in the past three months this training has been used on 31 occasions to reverse the impact of suspected or confirmed opiate overdoses and save lives. Naloxone training increases staff confidence and we encourage expanding the availability of the life-saving tool and requiring all first responders to be trained in its use. This knowledge should also extend to staff in settings where there is the potential to witness an overdose.
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