A drug that can be life-saving in the event of an opioid overdose will soon be easier to administer.
The Leeds, Grenville, and Lanark District Health Unit will offer Naloxone in a nasal spray format starting later next week.
Previously, the drug was given through an injection to help someone experiencing an opioid overdose on drugs like morphine, Dilaudid, or Fentanyl. Those kits will be replaced by the nasal spray kits, which can dispense the drug faster.
Harm Reduction Coordinator Jennifer Adams says the new kits may be more effective as well. The dose currently administered in the injection kits contains 1.2 milligrams of Naloxone, while the new nasal spray contains two doses of four milligrams of Naloxone.
Adams says that within the Leeds, Grenville, and Lanark Health Unit area, there have been 24 cases of opioid deaths between 2010 and 2014.
(Written by: Drew Hosick)