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For nearly 2 decades, HRVic has been though sometimes with pain caused by
funded by the Victorian Government restricted circulation to certain parts of
to deliver peer-based overdose training the body.
to users. The training is unique; opiate Dave said that over a 20-year peri-
injectors at HRVic developed and deliv- od he had had a few friends overdose – 2
er it to their peers. Our Drug Overdose most of them had survived but there had
Peer Education (DOPE) training looks been a couple that hadn’t and in those
at what leads to an overdose and how situations if naloxone had been available
to respond if your mates drop. Tradi- they would have made it.
tionally HRVic workers have taught
users how to do rescue breathing (re- As part of HRVic’s DOPE train-
suscitation), but with changes to gov- ing, Dave was given a pack of 5 (mini-
ernment policy, our training now in- jets) ampules of naloxone (400 micro-
cludes information about naloxone (it grams in 1 mL), and he has used 3 since
reverses the effects of an opiate over- then, on the 1 person, “I was in a situa-
dose) and how to use it. We give out tion where it wouldn’t have been kosher
naloxone ampules/mini-jets as part of to call an ambulance so they definitely
the training. There are, however, lo- wouldn’t be around today if I hadn’t used
gistic challenges like ensuring the sup- the naloxone. I had to use 3 ampules as REVIEWING THE
port of an onsite GP to prescribe the they didn’t wake up, they didn’t respond.
naloxone. Another huge challenge is Jane had said that may be the case and it EFFE CTIVENESS OF
the cost of naloxone. We have found was ok to do…I mean some of the ambos VICT ORIAN
that one-on-one training rather than do 4-5 ampules in one go”. GO VERNMENT
group based workshops can be an eas-
ier way to engage with the using com- “ I WA S I N A S I T UAT I O N INVESTMENT INT O
munity especially in regional Victoria W H E R E I T WO U L D N ’ T H AV E ILLICIT DR UG
but this also presents logistic complica- B E E N KO S H E R TO C A L L A N
tions. In many ways, naloxone is even AMB U L AN C E S O T HE Y D E F - SUPPLY REDUCTION,
more essential for people who inject I N ITE LY WO U LD N ’ T B E DEMAND REDUCTION
opiates who live in remote parts of Vic- AR OU ND TO DAY IF I HAD N ’ T
toria, who may be miles from the near- U S E D T HE NALOXO NE . I HAD AND
est hospital or ambulance. TO U S E 3 A M P U L E S A S T H E Y HARM REDUCTION
DID N ’ T WAK E U P, T HE Y STRATE GIES AND
WE S P O K E WI T H DAV E WH O DID N ’ T R E S P O ND.
R EC EN T LY D I D H R V I C ’ S PR OGRAMS;
TR A ININ G … .
“I’ve still got 2 [ampules] but I sup-
“I did HRVic’s DOPE training at Ac- pose I should go and get another script,
cess Health in St Kilda about 5 months so I’ll get one next time I go to the doc-
ago. I thought the way Jane [the DOPE tor. I haven’t asked my GP but I can’t see
Peer Educator/Trainer] did it was more why she would say no; I can’t say for sure
than fine, it was pretty informative but I think it will be ok”.
and yeah, I mean it’s something I think Editor’s Note: We haven’t heard of any doc-
should have been done a long time ago. tors refusing to give a naloxone script, its
I didn’t leave having any questions, I more that punters feel bad about asking
found out what I needed to find out. (they think they’re going to get judged, looked
Jane was pretty easy to talk to and def- down on, the doctor will think they’re using). Peer
initely you feel a lot more comfortable HRVic can recommend doctors at primary
having another user train you”. health services. Administered

Dave has been using for about 22 years I asked Dave if he’d mentioned the
and during that time he has never over- training to his mates?
dosed. He said there was one time he “Not so much straight after I did the Naloxone
was in a situation where no one came to training but more so since I used the
his assistance – “I would say I did [over- naloxone. Since then I have told my
dose] but I woke up so obviously I didn’t mates, spoken to them about going to
stop breathing”. the training. And I think a few of them Training
Editor’s Note: A lot of people report
this, waking up and not being able to account F OR MOR E I N F O ON HAVI N G A ON E
for the last 12 hours; some call it a ‘coma- ON ON E OR G R O U P NALOXON E
sleep’. We’re the lucky ones who wake up, al-
T R A I N I N G S E S S I O N W I T H J A N E ,
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