Lifesaver Winnipeg security guard pushing for provincewide naloxone training

A Winnipeg security officer is calling on the Manitoba government to fund naloxone training for hospital security teams across the province, after using the life-saving medication to revive someone just days after receiving his own kit.

Derrick Donovan, a patrol officer at the Health Sciences Centre and a licensed paramedic, administered naloxone outside the Sherbrook Street entrance of the hospital after seeing two people collapse nearby. His intervention, along with CPR and additional naloxone from colleagues, helped save both lives.

“Time matters. Without these naloxone kits, people will die,” Donovan told CityNews.

The life-saving moment came just one week after Donovan was approved to carry and use naloxone kits, which are funded by the Health Sciences Centre Foundation. He said the program has already proven its value, with officers using naloxone roughly 80 times in the past year, including four cases just this week.

“I think everyone in security in hospitals need this because they’re usually first on the scene,” Donovan said.

Donovan leads the training program for his team and is advocating for a provincewide rollout.

“With the funding, every security department in every hospital in Manitoba could easily get the training,” Donovan said. “It’s not that hard to organize because we’ve already made the training. And it’s working quite successfully at HSC Security.”

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Donovan and his team often patrol areas beyond where traditional medical staff operate: alleyways, sidewalks and entrances around the hospital where overdoses are frequently encountered. He says the training has also helped them connect with people on the street, removing negative perceptions of enforcement.

“We’ve proven it’s doable. We’ve saved so many lives. There’s no reason for this not to be a new standard.”

Donovan added the training also gives officers more peace of mind and protection under the Good Samaritan Act.

The Manitoba government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.