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Global News
5 days ago
- Health
- Global News
B.C. to require all schools to be equipped with AEDs, naloxone
Every school in British Columbia will soon be required to be equipped with two types of lifesaving tool. The B.C. Ministry of Education has issued a new mandate requiring schools to have automated external defibrillators (AEDs) — tools used to jumpstart a heart during a cardiac arrest — and naloxone kits that can reverse an overdose. The mandate requires the tools to be in all high schools by the end of this year, while elementary schools must carry the equipment by September 2026. The move follows advocacy by Grade 11 student Tobias Zhang and a group of his peers at Point Grey Secondary in Vancouver, who mobilized after a friend died of a cardiac event in 2022. 2:06 B.C. education minister supports AEDs in schools In January, following multiple meetings with Zheng and his classmates, the Vancouver School Board (VSB) passed its own district-wide AED policy. Story continues below advertisement Now the Education Ministry is taking the idea provincewide. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'This is a significant victory for the Point Grey students who really advocated for this, and I'm incredibly grateful for all the support that they've had and all the work that they've done,' said Melnaie Cheng, chair of the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council. Under the mandate, Grade 10 students across the province will also learn how to use AEDs and to perform CPR as a part of their physical and health education curriculum. 'CPR training is just a critical life skill that every student should have,' Cheng said. 'This initiative is not only beneficial for students, but also for staff. It just promotes health and safety for everyone at school sites.' However, while Naloxone will be kept in schools, students won't be trained on how to use it. Leslie McBain, co-founder of Moms Stop the Harm, believes that's a missed opportunity. 'It is a shame, really, that they are not being given the training even basic just basic overview of what it takes,' she said. 'Having kids know about naloxone, know what to do, know what an overdose looks like is a really good thing. They potentially will save lives.' Story continues below advertisement 2:03 Vancouver School Board refuses to implement life-saving device While the new provincial policy requires schools to acquire, inspect and maintain AEDs, it does not come with a boost in funding. According to the ministry, 97 per cent of B.C. school districts already have the devices in some or all schools. Vancouver School Trustee Jennifer Reddy said that because of the new policy approved this year, the VSB has already budgeted $250,000 for the tools. But she acknowledged the mandate is yet another pressure on already stretched districts. 'There's no question public schools are underfunded and we're being tasked to do more and more with less and less,' Reddy said. 'But there are decisions at the school district level that we can make that do align with our values … this announcement, in my view, is leadership, it is visionary, and it's an important step to set the bar of what is actually expected of us as a school district.' Story continues below advertisement However, it remains unclear how other districts that don't already have an AED program will cover the cost of installing the new tools. 'The province needs to engage with the districts in the rollout of this, and hopefully, in doing so, we can advocate if there are funding gaps,' Cheng said.
CBC
5 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Naloxone kits, defibrillators to be required in all B.C. high schools by December
Social Sharing Naloxone kits and defibrillators will be required in all secondary schools in British Columbia by the end of the year. The change is part of an updated healthy emergencies policy from the province that will also see Grade 10 students trained in first aid during gym class, beginning in September. Students will be taught CPR and how to use automated external defibrillators (AEDs), but schools will not be required to provide naloxone training, according to the Ministry of Education and Childcare. Tobias Zhang is happy about the changes. The Grade 12 student at Point Grey Secondary in Vancouver has been an advocate for AEDs in schools since his friend died after going into cardiac arrest at school three years ago. "There was no AED to help save my friend when he needed one," he said. A year after his friend died, Zhang founded a group to fundraise for the installation of an AED at his school. WATCH | Zhang calls for defibrillators in schools following friend's death: Student pushes for defibrillator access in Vancouver schools 8 months ago A Point Grey Secondary School student, whose friend died in 2022 during basketball practice, says having a defibrillator on site could have made all the difference. Tobias Zhang is now pushing to get the lifesaving technology into schools — something staff say they're working on. He says it took another year of meeting with school board chairs for the Vancouver School Board to accept his group's donation of about $14,000. In May, the board earmarked $250,000 of its own budget to purchase and install AEDs in all the district's facilities by September. More training needed Leslie McBain, co-founder of Moms Stop the Harm, commends the decision to stock schools with naloxone kits. "If someone does lose consciousness or go down from an overdose of toxic drugs, their life could probably be saved with naloxone," she said. However, she says she's disappointed that schools won't be required to train students on how to use the life-saving kits. She says that while giving nasal naloxone isn't complicated, training is essential because every second counts when someone is experiencing an overdose. "Until we get a safe supply of drugs in its many variations, those toxic drugs are going to be out there and overdose is a potential outcome," she said. More than 16,000 people have died from the toxic drugs crisis since B.C. declared it a public health emergency in 2016, over 200 of them under the age of 19. McBain says she thinks naloxone training could also make students more alert to the risks of using substances and serve as an educational intervention to prevent overdoses. Abbotsford going a step further In the Abbotsford School District, students will get that extra education. They will be trained on how to administer naloxone, as well as perform CPR and use an AED, according to superintendent Nathan Ngieng. Ngieng says he believes naloxone kits are an important safety measure. "We've seen incidents of overdose death in Abbotsford here, so equipping young people to respond in those emergency situations is really important," he said. He says Abbotsford schools have already had AEDs for close to 10 years and one has already been used to save a student's life. "Because we've had a real-life application, it really hits home for us in terms of understanding how this simple act of including this learning standard could save the life of a student or individual," he said.
The Province
05-08-2025
- Health
- The Province
New to B.C.'s school curriculum this fall: CPR, naloxone, cardiac arrest devices
Grade 10 gym classes in B.C. will now teach first aid, and kits to treat cardiac arrests and treat overdoses will be mandatory in schools Tobias Zhang with an AED at Point Grey Secondary Photo by Arlen Redekop / PNG All Grade 10 students will learn first aid in gym class starting in September, and every B.C. school will be required to have medical kits to treat cardiac arrests and reverse overdoses. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors These significant Ministry of Education policy changes are the direct result of persistent advocacy by a group of Vancouver high schools students who watched their friend die from cardiac arrest, as well as from the parents of a University of Victoria student who didn't get the help she needed after being poisoned by toxic drugs. 'That's cool to hear. That's really great,' Tobias Zhang, who is going into Grade 12 at Point Grey Secondary, said Monday when told about the changes. 'It makes me feel like I can rest a little bit easier now. It's nice to know that this device will be in schools, and we'll all be a little bit safer in school.' Zhang and several of his classmates began lobbying last year for automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, for their school after his best friend collapsed during a Grade 9 basketball tryout in 2022. The 911 operator told the students to find an AED, but the school didn't have one. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The ministry confirmed that performing CPR and using AEDs will now be part of the Grade 10 physical education curriculum at public and private schools when classes resume this fall, so 'every student will have the opportunity to gain these life-saving skills.' A ministry email said a ministerial order covering support services in schools was amended last month to make having AEDs and overdose-reversing naloxone kits mandatory. The two medical devices must be in all secondary schools before the end of 2025, and in elementary and middle schools by September 2026, the ministry says. Point Grey students Ethan Balagtas, Shanjanaa Ramkumar, Vivian He, and Ryan Wang raise money to buy AEDs for Vancouver schools. Photo courtesy: Tobias Zhang The jury at a coroner's inquest into last year's preventable overdose death of UVic student Sidney McIntyre-Starko recommended in May that secondary schools should teach CPR and administering naloxone. Sidney's parents, Ken Starko and emergency room physician Dr. Caroline McIntyre, have created a public campaign to push for similar changes. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. On Monday, McIntyre applauded the policy adjustments. But she wishes information about the lethal drug supply and how to reverse overdoses would also be taught in classrooms, since toxic drugs are the leading cause of death for British Columbians ages 10 to 59. 'We are grateful that CPR and AED training will be part of the curriculum. Every child deserves to learn these basic, life-saving skills,' she said. 'I hope they include education about the toxic drug crisis, how to respond to an overdose, as well as naloxone training.' Sidney McIntyre-Starko, 18, was poisoned by toxic drugs in a UVic dorm room in January 2024. Photo courtesy: Sidney's family Melanie Cheng, president of the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council, said the changes were long overdue. 'It's become an industry standard to have an AED at a recreation facility. Why not a school site,' she asked. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It shouldn't be an option for districts. It should be mandatory. These are critical life skills that students need.' Vancouver school trustee Christopher Richardson backs the CPR, AED and naloxone requirements, but wonders why the province didn't institute them earlier. 'Let's not wait until a coroner's inquest demands this,' said Richardson, who supported the students' AED efforts. Last year, the Vancouver school board rebuffed the students' AED requests, based on advice from Vancouver Coastal Health that the devices were only necessary in schools with children with existing health conditions. The board made this call despite the fact many other districts already had AEDs in their buildings. In January, though, the board reversed course and asked the province for $250,000 to buy AEDs for all 107 schools. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The new provincial directives, though, do not come with funding, so the Vancouver district will have to find the money for the AEDs, Richardson said. 'I was gravely disappointed,' he said. 'When they mandated (these changes), there was no funding. And they made that very clear.' Zhang and his friends have raised nearly $14,000 to help Vancouver school buy AEDs. Zhang said being part of the solution made him feel like he and his friends accomplished something important. Vancouver school board chair Victoria Jung and trustee Janet Fraser (left), and trustees Suzie Mah and Christopher Richardson (right) with the Point Grey students, including Tobias Zhang (third from right), who fundraised nearly $14,000 for AEDs. Credit: Tobias Zhang While CPR and AED training are meaningful skills, what is more relevant to young people is giving them naloxone kits and training to use them, added Richardson, who is a special constable with the Vancouver police. 'Having free and easy access to nasal naloxone would improve intervention outcomes even more,' agreed Starko, Sidney's father. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'And we hope for increased government action against import of unregulated drugs and their component chemicals.' B.C.'s toxic drug crisis has claimed more than 16,000 lives since it was declared a provincial health emergency in 2016. When Sidney overdosed in a UVic residence, student witnesses immediately called 911 and campus security, who have first aid training. But she died of oxygen deprivation after not getting naloxone for 13 minutes and CPR for 15 minutes. lculbert@ Read More For more health news and content around diseases, conditions, wellness, healthy living, drugs, treatments and more, head to – a member of the Postmedia Network. Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks News Sports Entertainment
Vancouver Sun
04-08-2025
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
New to B.C.'s school curriculum this fall: CPR, naloxone, cardiac arrest devices
All Grade 10 students will learn first aid in gym class starting in September, and every B.C. school will be required to have medical kits to treat cardiac arrests and reverse overdoses. These significant Ministry of Education policy changes are the direct result of persistent advocacy by a group of Vancouver high schools students who watched their friend die from cardiac arrest , as well as from the parents of a University of Victoria student who didn't get the help she needed after being poisoned by toxic drugs. 'That's cool to hear. That's really great,' Tobias Zhang, who is going into Grade 12 at Point Grey Secondary, said Monday when told about the changes. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'It makes me feel like I can rest a little bit easier now. It's nice to know that this device will be in schools, and we'll all be a little bit safer in school.' Zhang and several of his classmates began lobbying last year for automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, for their school after his best friend collapsed during a Grade 9 basketball tryout in 2022. The 911 operator told the students to find an AED, but the school didn't have one. The ministry confirmed that performing CPR and using AEDs will now be part of the Grade 10 physical education curriculum at public and private schools when classes resume this fall, so 'every student will have the opportunity to gain these life-saving skills.' A ministry email said a ministerial order covering support services in schools was amended last month to make having AEDs and overdose-reversing naloxone kits mandatory. The two medical devices must be in all secondary schools before the end of 2025, and in elementary and middle schools by September 2026, the ministry says. The jury at a coroner's inquest into last year's preventable overdose death of UVic student Sidney McIntyre-Starko recommended in May that secondary schools should teach CPR and administering naloxone. Sidney's parents, Ken Starko and emergency room physician Dr. Caroline McIntyre, have created a public campaign to push for similar changes. On Monday, McIntyre applauded the policy adjustments. But she wishes information about the lethal drug supply and how to reverse overdoses would also be taught in classrooms, since toxic drugs are the leading cause of death for British Columbians ages 10 to 59. 'We are grateful that CPR and AED training will be part of the curriculum. Every child deserves to learn these basic, life-saving skills,' she said. 'I hope they include education about the toxic drug crisis, how to respond to an overdose, as well as naloxone training.' Melanie Cheng, president of the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council, said the changes were long overdue. 'It's become an industry standard to have an AED at a recreation facility. Why not a school site,' she asked. 'It shouldn't be an option for districts. It should be mandatory. These are critical life skills that students need.' Vancouver school trustee Christopher Richardson backs the CPR, AED and naloxone requirements, but wonders why the province didn't institute them earlier. 'Let's not wait until a coroner's inquest demands this,' said Richardson, who supported the students' AED efforts. Last year, the Vancouver school board rebuffed the students' AED requests, based on advice from Vancouver Coastal Health that the devices were only necessary in schools with children with existing health conditions. The board made this call despite the fact many other districts already had AEDs in their buildings. In January, though, the board reversed course and asked the province for $250,000 to buy AEDs for all 107 schools . The new provincial directives, though, do not come with funding, so the Vancouver district will have to find the money for the AEDs, Richardson said. 'I was gravely disappointed,' he said. 'When they mandated (these changes), there was no funding. And they made that very clear.' Zhang and his friends have raised nearly $14,000 to help Vancouver school buy AEDs. Zhang said being part of the solution made him feel like he and his friends accomplished something important. While CPR and AED training are meaningful skills, what is more relevant to young people is giving them naloxone kits and training to use them, added Richardson, who is a special constable with the Vancouver police. 'Having free and easy access to nasal naloxone would improve intervention outcomes even more,' agreed Starko, Sidney's father. 'And we hope for increased government action against import of unregulated drugs and their component chemicals.' B.C.'s toxic drug crisis has claimed more than 16,000 lives since it was declared a provincial health emergency in 2016. When Sidney overdosed in a UVic residence, student witnesses immediately called 911 and campus security, who have first aid training. But she died of oxygen deprivation after not getting naloxone for 13 minutes and CPR for 15 minutes. lculbert@ For more health news and content around diseases, conditions, wellness, healthy living, drugs, treatments and more, head to – a member of the Postmedia Network.
