I started the Brandon Jansen Foundation in memory of my 20-year-old son who died of an accidental Fentanyl (opiate) overdose in March of 2016. Though the loss was a heartbreak, I knew I had to do something to prevent this heartbreak from happening to another parent, family, community, province, and country.
We are losing 3+ people daily in British Columbia alone and an opioid epidemic has been declared. Amidst this serious health care crisis, the Brandon Jansen Foundation aims to create more awareness, though there has been media attention we need more education. Teach children in school that yes, it can and will happen to you: DEATH. ‘Don’t do drugs’ takes on a whole new meaning during this Fentanyl crisis. Update your CPR/ First Aid and include the administration of Narcan Nasal Spray to reverse an opioid overdose. Change in laws, clinical practice guidelines, clinical tools, textbooks, and education are desperately needed. Hold the dealers and society more accountable. Most importantly, create more affordable treatment facilities for those who have been taken by this drug.
My hope is that we can stop this crisis we found ourselves in. Through change, awareness and action we will save lives using evidence-based practice, program evaluation, research, and education.