Opioid overdose response now part of Red Cross first aid, CPR training as deaths mount
CBC
Leigh Chapman smiles as she describes her brother Brad; a father and talented musician who also loved to play hockey and roller blade around Toronto.
"He had a really quirky sense of humour as well," she said.
Brad Chapman, 43, was found dying of an opioid overdose near a downtown Toronto hotel in August 2015. His death led to a coroner's inquest and a series of recommendations for Ontario, Toronto and its police force, which were released in December 2018.
One of the recommendations was to ensure that providers of first aid training in Ontario included opioid overdose response training. More than two and a half years later, those efforts are underway at the Canadian Red Cross.
"I'm really pleased, I think this is long overdue to be honest," Leigh Chapman said.
The Canadian Red Cross has added training to identify and respond to opioid poisoning in all its first aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) programs across the country. The training is a first in a series of measures funded by Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Program to help reduce opioid-related deaths.
According to Public Health Ontario, 2,426 opioid-related deaths occurred in 2020, a 60 per cent rise from 1,517 deaths in 2019. Last year, emergency department visits for opioid overdoses increased nearly 20 per cent in Ontario — from 10,478 visits in 2019 to 12,513.
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