Ref. no.: 17

Memorial University health professional learners and faculty are welcoming the provincial government’s commitment to continued discussions around expanded access to publicly funded naloxone through community pharmacies across Newfoundland and Labrador.

The commitment follows advocacy by Memorial learners and faculty in Medicine and Pharmacy, supported by the Pharmacists’ Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (PANL), Choices for Youth and the AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Labrador. The group has called on the provincial government to make naloxone kits available at no cost through all community pharmacies and to provide remuneration for pharmacy professionals delivering associated naloxone services.

On Nov. 5, Bernie Davis, member of the House of Assembly for Virginia Waters-Pleasantville, presented a petition on the group's behalf in the House of Assembly. Health and Community Services Minister Joedy Wall responded by identifying publicly funded naloxone through pharmacies as an important issue, underscoring the role pharmacists can play in this area and that the government is committed to exploring next steps and advancing the issue.

Expanding no-cost access

Naloxone is a medication that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Advocates say expanding no-cost access through community pharmacies is increasingly important as Newfoundland and Labrador faces a toxic and unpredictable drug supply and continued opioid-related harms.

While Newfoundland and Labrador’s Take-Home Naloxone Program provides free kits through designated distribution sites, those locations may not always be readily accessible when naloxone is needed. With more than 200 community pharmacies operating across the province, advocates say pharmacies can provide an additional, accessible point of care, including during evenings and weekends.

“As a pharmacist and professor, I teach future pharmacists that access to naloxone is an essential part of safe opioid care,” said Dr. Lisa Bishop, pharmacist and professor in Memorial University’s School of Pharmacy. “Yet our current practise environment does not support pharmacists in consistently delivering this standard of care. Naloxone is a critical safety measure for anyone using prescribed or non-prescribed opioids, or who is at risk of accidental exposure. I welcome the government’s commitment to exploring expanded access through community pharmacies to better protect patients, families and communities across our province.”

PANL has advocated for a provincially funded naloxone program through community pharmacies for some time.

“The current take-home naloxone policy in Newfoundland and Labrador is not adequately protecting those who use opioids,” said Dr. Ashley Waghmare, president of PANL. “With more than 200 community pharmacies operating in the province, many open evenings and weekends, pharmacists are ideally positioned to expand access to this life-saving medication.”

'Easily, equitably and sustainably accessible'

For Memorial faculty involved in the advocacy, improving access to naloxone is also about ensuring the health system supports health professionals in providing appropriate care.

“Many of my students continue to be shocked when they arrive in our province and find out that naloxone is not publicly funded in pharmacies,” said Dr. Françoise Guigné, family physician and associate professor in Memorial University’s Discipline of Family Medicine. “Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. It needs to be easily, equitably and sustainably accessible across our province, no matter which community you live in or how much money you have.”

Learners involved in the advocacy highlighted the importance of aligning their education with the environments in which they will eventually practise.

“Across medicine, nursing, pharmacy and social work, students in Newfoundland and Labrador follow academic curricula informed by national practice guidelines,” said Elizabeth Clarke, a third-year medical student at Memorial University. “While most provinces across Canada have expanded publicly funded naloxone access that includes pharmacies, there is a mismatch between the standard of care and the practise environment in Newfoundland and Labrador. As the next generation of allied health professionals, we recognize how the current gaps are harming patients by impeding standard of practice.”

Community organizations supporting the initiative say expanded access is particularly important for people who may face barriers to health care.

“For vulnerable young people, timely access to naloxone saves lives and is often the first step in a youth’s recovery journey,” said Jen Crowe, executive director of Choices for Youth. “With the goal of ensuring that all youth in our province can build happy and fulfilling lives, we need to provide sufficient access to this life-saving intervention, paired with substance use education and pathways to recovery.”

The importance of timely, local access is also reflected in the experience of people who have relied on naloxone.

One AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Labrador client who has lived experience with naloxone highlighted the importance of access close to home: “Having access to the services we need where we live gives us more than support; it gives us another chance at life.”

Faculty, learners and community partners involved in the initiative say they look forward to continued discussions with the provincial government on implementation and to seeing expanded access to naloxone through community pharmacies across Newfoundland and Labrador.

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For more information, please contact Françoise Guigné, associate professor, Discipline of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, at fguigne@mun.ca or 709-743-0350; or Virginia Middleton, senior communications advisor, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, at 709-864-6363 or
vmiddleton@mun.ca.