The preventable fentanyl-poisoning death of University of Victoria student Sidney McIntyre-Starko last January shocked B.C., and led to a long list of promised changes at universities and colleges, secondary schools, and in the health system.
And while the swift action is lauded by advocates who want to keep people safe during the deadly overdose crisis, they say pressure must be kept on officials to ensure those changes are made and that even more life-saving steps are taken.
UVic hung naloxone kits in every floor of all residences in August in response to McIntyre-Starko’s death, but a to demand the university train every student how to use the overdose-reversing drug.
“The mere presence of naloxone kits in residence buildings does not constitute a wholehearted response to the death of students on campus by overdose,” said fourth-year student Zack Fenniri, part of a group of students behind the petition.
“The communication surrounding what is available, what isn’t available, and how to take advantage of these [harm-reduction] resources has been ineffective … and so lacklustre.”
McIntyre-Starko’s mother, emergency room physician Caroline McIntyre, said she is grateful for the demands being made by these students. “I cannot agree more with them: Everyone should know how to save a life.”
McIntyre-Starko, 18, collapsed from drug poisoning in a residence on Jan. 23, but students didn’t have nearby access to naloxone; campus security officers waited too long to administer it; and the 911 operator also hesitated to recommend using the medication or to start CPR.
McIntyre-Starko died of oxygen deprivation.
UVic initially described the actions of its security officers as “commendable” and denied evidence from the 911 recording that she didn’t receive naloxone for 13 minutes or chest compressions for 15 minutes after her collapse.
In May, after the 91原创 Sun published a piece on McIntyre-Starko’s case, Premier David Eby announced a coroner’s inquest and the province promised to start buying simple nasal naloxone to replace the hard-to-use injection model that pharmacies hand out.
The province also promised to institute mandatory CPR training for high school students for September 2025, a policy that exists in other provinces, and created a post-secondary overdose prevention committee of experts to address medical gaps on campuses.
In June, UVic admitted for the first time that “mistakes were made” in McIntyre-Starko’s case. It vowed changes on campus, including 89 new nasal naloxone boxes in buildings, staff training, and student education.
By September, B.C.’s 25 post-secondary institutions received a combined 1,600 nasal naloxone kits for dorms, and for events with alcohol and field trips.
Disciplinary policies were also to be revised so that students don’t hesitate to report an overdose for fear they will be suspended for drug use.
The province has said it is still finalizing additional commitments to better train campus security officers; ensure guardians are notified promptly after students have serious emergencies; and create unique addresses for campus buildings so first responders can find them quickly.
In November, fourth-year UVic student Adrianna Balic joined with Fenniri and several other students to push for better harm reduction policies at the school. They spoke to several first-year classes, and were shocked by the number of questions they got about basic resources on campus.
“A lot of first-year students don’t have knowledge of naloxone training, and a lot of them hadn’t even been informed about the kits that were in their building,” said Balic, whose group’s petition has more than 800 signatures.
“It feels like there’s a lot of blurriness in what is currently available, not only for community leaders but all students,” Balic added.
In a statement, a UVic spokesperson said the school shared the location of the naloxone kits with all students on move-in day in September and promoted naloxone training offered in other locations on campus. She added community leaders in August received “an in-person introduction to the proper use of opioid emergency kits and harm reduction strategies,” but did not elaborate.
The post-secondary ministry, in an email, said new guidelines released in August recommend all B.C. universities and colleges tell first-year students the location of naloxone as part of their orientation packages. The guidelines also include “training and response expectations” for community leaders, but the email did not provide specifics.
This fall McIntyre-Starko’s parents, McIntyre and Ken Starko, who created the campaign, contacted every province and territory to push for harm-reduction improvements at their post-secondary schools.
They have not heard back yet from all regions, but New Brunswick has asked its post-secondary institutions to follow up on the parents’ recommendations; Newfoundland said naloxone was supplied to elementary and secondary schools for the first time this year and that it would share the parents’ requests with their post-secondary institutions; and Saskatchewan said it would discuss their recommended changes with its universities and colleges.
McIntyre-Starko’s parents also urged B.C.’s post-secondary ministry in September to continue with improvements on campuses, including a minimum number of staff trained in first aid, a minimum number of AEDs for cardiac arrests, and new protocols for campus security, who often arrive at emergencies before first responders.
“Although we are grateful for the efforts of the post-secondary overdose response committee, we believe the post-secondary ministry has a long way to go to make B.C. campuses safer,” said McIntyre.
“We must not have a repeat scenario where a campus first aid responder does not understand that a blue, unconscious teenager simply needs basic CPR.”
While other provinces, such as Ontario, provide free nasal-spray naloxone, B.C. still hands out the needle variety to most people.
Since McIntyre-Starko’s death, the Health Ministry started a pilot project to give naloxone nasal spray to “high-needs groups in priority locations,” which includes harm-reduction operations, First Nations sites, and pharmacies in about 150 smaller communities, the ministry said in an email.
The people in these locations who can access the nasal spray include someone who can’t use a syringe, perhaps because of a disability or injury; harm-reduction workers in cold climates, where bulky winter clothing can slow the use of a needle; and young people who are likely less comfortable with administering a needle.
At-risk drug users also fall into this targeted group, especially Indigenous people who have been disproportionately impacted by the crisis.
The ministry said it will distribute 50,000 nasal doses as part of the pilot project, which includes the 1,600 that went to post-secondary campuses and another 8,400 that will be distributed in early 2025, although no further details were provided.
McIntyre said she hopes the spray naloxone will soon be readily available to everyone in B.C., where more than 15,000 people have overdosed since the province declared a public health emergency in 2016.
“We continue to have the highest death rate from toxic drugs in the country, yet we continue to lag behind many provinces in providing easy-to-use nasal naloxone,” she said.
