Fanshawe paramedic professor Alan Batt has been invited to join the CSA Group's Technical Committee to begin development of the "Paramedic response to the opioid crisis: education and training across the treatment and care continuum in out-of-hospital emergency and community settings" standard.
With more than 11,500 opioid-related deaths in Canada from January 2016 to December 2018, this is a complex crisis that requires a comprehensive, collaborative and compassionate public health approach.
The standard is a Health Canada funded initiative, and it will provide a national framework to guide paramedic service organizations in addressing health promotion, prevention, harm reduction and treatment of opioid use, addiction and overdose in out-of-hospital emergency and community settings.
CSA Group (formerly the Canadian Standards Association) is a global standards, testing and certification organization dedicated to safety, social good and sustainability. CSA Group publishes print and electronic standards in nearly 60 areas of expertise and provides training and advisory services.