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March 23, 2017 - 11:36 AM
KAMLOOPS - A Kamloops doctor is teaming up with members of the community to answer a question B.C. residents have been asking for the past two years: What the Fentanyl?
The question is also the name of an open forum being held at Thompson Rivers University next week, led by Dr. Mandy Manak of the Interior Chemical Dependency Office.
A Facebook event indicates Manak, along with community partners and families whose lives have been changed by fentanyl, will be providing "Kamloops-specific" information on the dangers of opioid addiction.
Manak will host the forum at TRU on Thursday, March 30, where speakers will discuss what fentanyl and carfentanil are, why they are addictive, why they are dangerous, how prevalent they are and how recreational users and their families can be impacted.
The Facebook post says this comes "in response to the growing concern around opioids, specifically fentanyl, and the rapid increase in overdose rates in British Columbia."
It will be an open forum aimed at giving community members the opportunity to ask questions and provide them with local resources. The event will end with a training session on administering naloxone and free naloxone kits will be handed out to those who would like one.
The two-hour event, suitable for anyone 13 years old or older, will begin at 7 p.m. on March 30 at the Barbra Centre House of Learning at TRU.
Find more information about the fentanyl crisis here.
Find past stories on naloxone here.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2017