Mayor of Limerick honours graduates of life-saving training programme

Una Deasy, NOVAS; graduate Anthony Grace; Julie McKenna, NOVAS; Mayor Francis Foley; graduates Christy Carey, Helen McInerney, Damien Fitzgerald, Noleen Hickey and Debbie Maloney | PICTURE: Liam Burke

placeholder image — Una Deasy, NOVAS; graduate Anthony Grace; Julie McKenna, NOVAS; Mayor Francis Foley; graduates Christy Carey, Helen McInerney, Damien Fitzgerald, Noleen Hickey and Debbie Maloney | PICTURE: Liam Burke

GRADUATES of The Overdose Prevention Peer Learning Experience (TOPPLE) in Limerick have been heralded as future life-savers.

Mayor of Limerick Francis Foley recently welcomed graduates of the Novas programme, and their families, to City Hall where he presented them with certificates of achievement to mark their graduation from this life saving training programme.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Una Deasy, CEO of Novas said: “We are so proud of the effort these clients have put into developing their skills and we know from experience that these clients will go on to save lives in their community.

“Understanding how to reduce harm, keep people safe and share the knowledge they have learned will have huge knock on impacts”.

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Novas Health and Recovery Manager Julie McKenna added: “TOPPLE was developed by Novas to teach clients how to recognise the signs of a potential overdose, how to alert emergency services, how to provide first aid and how to support someone who experienced this, in order to prevent a reoccurrence”.

Three in five drug related deaths occurred while a person was alone.