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As a fentanyl crisis ravages B.C., funeral parlours are being advised to stock naloxone kits to reverse possible overdoses among mourners at services or staff who handle bodies of overdose victims.

The B.C. Funeral Association sent a bulletin to members in early November explaining the importance of carrying the kits, as the province battles a public health emergency brought on by a sharp rise in drug deaths this year, said executive director Charlotte Poncelet.

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“It should be something that you just do,” Poncelet said.

Services may be attended by people who use drugs and having a naloxone kit on hand will make staff better prepared to assist in the event someone someday overdoses in a washroom or elsewhere during a service, she added.

When any death occurs, friends and family are in “a vulnerable position” so if they have a tendency to use drugs to cope with emotional circumstances, the risk of an overdose may increase, Poncelet said.