World Overdose Awareness Day 2020
Posted on 31 August, 2020 News
Our AD:EPT Team in Magilligan Prison has been working hard with partners in the run up to World Overdose Awareness Day on 31st August 2020 to promote harm reduction and overdose awareness.
The AD:EPT Team in Magilligan continually work alongside the Prison Service to support the men within the prison community to address substance misuse and mental health issues. Many of our clients have comorbid conditions and are extremely complex, engaging in high risk behaviours where overdose is a real possibility. As part of the annual International Overdose day on 31st August we have focused our work on Harm Reduction and Overdose Awareness throughout the month. This is a global event raising awareness of the devastating loss of life through overdose. which can often be ignored by the media and the population as a whole.
We are also working closely with our partners in the SETRUST and Northern Ireland Prison Service to build services within the prison estate and inform the prison population on the reduction of tolerance in terms of illicit substances and prescription medications. While the availability of illicit substances is low within the Prison, it is vital this life saving information is offered and understood to try and reduce the risk over overdose and death, both in custody and particularly when the men are released back into the community.
The AD:EPT Team is on hand every day, completing inductions with new committals to inform them of the help available in addressing their substance misuse and other issues. This also includes external specialist referrals for the community; and as Start360 has an amazing range of services in the community we can make internal referrals for support when released home or to hostel accommodation.
Part of this programme also involves Harm Reduction information on blood borne viruses, overdose awareness and the wide availability of Naloxone training, so that when clients leave custody they have a Naloxone pack to take home.
Naloxone saves lives and in the AD:EPT Team we are all very passionate about harm reduction and promote to everyone that no one person should ever die from drug overdose.
For more information please visit AD:EPT