The Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region is hoping to prevent opioid overdoses by handing out take-home kits to patients who have been identified as at risk for an overdose.

The kits contain Naloxone, an injectable medication used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and get the patient breathing again within minutes. Currently, the medication is used by paramedics, and ER departments, but the new program is expanding it.

Starting July 4, the take-home kits will be made available free of charge to selected patients. The patients and their families will be provided with training and education on how to recognize the signs of an overdose, and how to use the kits. When the training is complete, the patients will be able to get the kits from the Lakeshore Pharmacy.

“The expansion of the Take-Home Naloxone program is an important addition to the range of services available to help at-risk individuals, and supports our government’s commitment to addressing the recommendations in the Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan,” Health Minister Dustin Duncan said in a written release. “Making this resource more accessible to those who need it has the potential to save lives and prevent injury due to overdose.”

In addition to providing the kits, staff at the RQHR’s Harm Reduction Clinic will continue to work with the patients to help them get treatment for their addictions.

The province has contributed $50,000 this year to fund the take-home kits.