As the number of drug-related deaths reaches record highs, efforts are underway to curb overdoses.

Interior Health, in partnership with the Vernon Library, offers a free monthly program to teach people how to prevent an overdose and help people in their lives who struggle with substance use.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the kind of training that can spell the difference between life and death,鈥� said Peter Critchley, reference librarian.

The one-hour Substance Use First Aid presentation on overdose prevention training and education take place the first Wednesday of every month (so this Feb. 7) at 7 p.m. at the library.

鈥淧articipants can expect to learn about overdose statistics in Vernon, the basics of psychoactive substances, overdose prevention strategies, how to recognize an overdose, Naloxone and how to administer it and how to respond to an opioid overdose,鈥� said Critchley.

Participants, who can just drop-in, can also expect to leave with a free Naloxone kit.

There were 51 deaths recorded in Vernon last year, along with a record high of 2,511 in B.C.

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