Student's killer on parole
Charges after investigation
Hostage was on captor 
Regulating power prices
Gen X is raking it in
LeBlanc laying groundwork
US vetoes UN resolution
$100M Nassar settlement
12 Trump jurors picked
Rates slow green economy
Vicinity hires president,
Record housing starts
Warriors ready for Round 2
Kalamalka Bowl cancelled
Rockets live to fight on
Rihanna's parenting ‘hack’
Tarantino scraps film
Munn talks cancer battle
With naloxone now readily available free of charge for those who need it, the RDOS plans to push the province to make other life-saving medications available in the same capacity.
Board members voted unanimously on Thursday to support a resolution on that topic, which will be brought forward during the Southern Interior Local Government Association convention this spring.
The proposal was also brought up to Interior Health's CEO Chris Mazurkewich when he met with local government members recently in Oliver, including RDOS board chair Karla Kozakevich, Penticton Mayor Andew Jakubeit and Coun. Judy Sentes.
"I asked Chris why the Ministry will fund naloxone kits for drug overdoses to prevent immediate death, but they won't fund certain medications for people that would have immediate death if they didn't have those medications on them," Kozakevich told board members on Thursday.
"He sort of smiled and almost backed away from me, and said 'It's something politicians have to take to the Ministry of Health. It's a political decision,'" she added.
Kozakevich reaffirmed that the question isn't about medication for long-term care, but rather it's about, for example, providing an EpiPen for free to someone who is deathly allergic to peanuts.
"I'm not saying 'stop providing naloxone kits' at all... But why is it not an equitable system to treat all of our citizens?" she added.
"For many people, it's out-of-pocket to pay for their medications, but if you're using illegal drugs we are all paying for the naloxone kits."
Several board members expressed their concerns that the topic of free medication is a subjective one.
"If you're poor enough, all these things are free. It's the working poor that are hard hit... I think it's a much broader policy issue," Electoral Area F director Michael Brydon said.
In December, pharmacies across B.C. began distributing free naloxone kits, amidst a record-setting year in 2017 for illicit drug overdose deaths in the province.
The annual SILGA convention takes place from Apr. 24 to 27 this year in Revelstoke.
