UVic CLs received long-awaited training to give the drug in August, left with questions
Photo by Paul Voll.
In August, over seven months after Sidney McIntyre-Starko passed away due to a fentanyl overdose in her UVic dormitory, UVic installed naloxone kits in all residence buildings, and trained Community Leaders (CLs) in their use.
The Emergencies and Naloxone Training session for CLs — live-in student leaders in UVic dormitories –– was provided by representatives from the Student Wellness Centre during regular August training for CLs in advance of September move-in and the academic year.
This marked the first time naloxone administration had been included in CLs’ summer training, despite CLs’ persistent requests since 2022.
Charles Kjar is one CL who created a petition for leaders like him to receive mandatory harm reduction training following Ms. McIntyre-Starko’s passing in January. Kjar said that although he’s happy CLs have finally been given naloxone training from Residence Services, there is still some confusion as to what is expected from them as staff members.
“They kept reiterating during the training that, ‘You’re not expected to [administer naloxone] as a CL; you’re administering it as a bystander,’” said Kjar.
UVic maintains that “In an emergency, CLs are trained to contact first responders,” according to a statement from a spokesperson.
Although Kjar wasn’t clear on his role in administering naloxone following his CL training session, the Overdose Prevention and Response Guidelines for B.C’s Post Secondary sector, as well as a statement provided by UVic to the Martlet, both say that CLs are not required to administer naloxone.
“This is a choice they can make based on their own comfort level,” reads the statement.
Although CLs’ job descriptions in their union agreement (CUPE 4163) were not adapted to include the administration of naloxone in emergency situations, CLs administering naloxone can still receive some protections and coverages –– should they choose to administer the life-saving drug –– under the Good Samaritan Act.
However, the fact that naloxone administration protocols were not added to the union agreement was one thing Kjar, and other CLs, found confusing when first receiving their training on Aug. 27.
“[Administering naloxone] was part of our official training, but it was almost like unofficial training. They didn’t adapt the training to be CL-specific, but they did train us nonetheless,” says Kjar. “I’m happy that they were able to give it to us, but it also kind of sucks that they weren’t able to push for it more [to be part of the union agreement].”
The Overdose Prevention and Response Guidelines for B.C’s Post Secondary sector also states that “training [for faculty, staff, and student housing staff] may not be certified and may be less comprehensive than that for on campus first responders,” and that considerations for training will vary, but “the risks and protections to those providing aid” should be considered.
These “risk factors” and considerations were another point of contention for Kjar, who alleges that during his training, representatives from the Student Wellness Centre told CLs “[they] can just do mouth to mouth” if the individual in an emergency situation is unresponsive.
“I’m a lifeguard,” says Kjar. “Never will anyone ever say, ‘just do mouth to mouth’ if you don’t have a pocket mask . . . the chances of getting an illness is a serious risk.”
Kjar says that the question of whether CLs can train residents on how to use naloxone nasal spray was also raised by CLs during the training session. The response, Kjar says, was “that’s up to you.”
Kjar says this left some questions unanswered, since the CL training session did not provide training on how to train others on administering naloxone.
In a statement to the Martlet, a UVic spokesperson said the training CLs received only covered “information on how to recognize an overdose and administer naloxone” but mentioned that “[nasal-naloxone] kits are available for residents to access… and contain instructions for use.”
Emergency nasal-naloxone kits can now be found in 90 locations in the university’s residence complex.
