Sign up forms are on the front desk of the HEMP Embassy..

or ring Jungle Patrol on (02) 66 890 567...

Red Cross HOPE Program Fact Sheet

• The Red Cross HOPE program is a free six-hour course that is primarily designed for families, friends and carers of those at-risk of overdosing on Opiates, alcohol or other drugs.

• Although families, friends and carers are the primary target group courses can also be arranged for workers/volunteers in the field.

• Participants are taught how overdoses occur, how to recognise the signs and symptoms of an overdose and how to respond, including administering life-saving skills. Police and Ambulance procedures, post overdose care and local referral and support information are also provided.

• HOPE is a free course and is fully accredited through the Australian Red Cross. Participants receive a CPR qualification upon completion and all courses are conducted by a qualified Red Cross CPR Instructor.

• The course can accommodate 15 – 20 participants and course delivery is adapted to meet the differing needs of participants. Lunch is provided free to participants.

• The Red Cross HOPE program was launched in September 2002 and since then has trained more than 700 people from all over NSW.

• Red Cross HOPE courses are conducted in every area health zone across NSW and are regularly held in metropolitan areas. The HOPE training schedule is available on our website (see below).

• HOPE courses can also be conducted in Arabic and Vietnamese languages. All training resources have been translated into these languages.

• The Red Cross also offers these courses to young people, youth workers and user/peer groups through the Red Cross Save-A-Mate (SAM) Program.

• Overdose is a major cause of death among Heroin Users. Some estimates indicate that as many as 70% of overdoses are witnessed by another person (National Heroin Overdose Strategy). Overdose affects not only the victim, but family, friends and the broader community as well.
The Red Cross HOPE program acknowledges this and strives to provide support through education and training on this daunting issue.

For enquiries on the Red Cross HOPE course, contact (02)9229 4142 or 1800 812 028. Visit our website at www.nsw.redcross.org.au or E mail hope@nsw.redcross.org.au

To do the course in Nimbin before MardiGrass,

see details at top of page...

Red Cross HOPE Course
Participants Quotes

“I found it a great course and I feel more able to help in an emergency”

“This is a great course for people who deal with drugs at a grass level”

“I found this course very good but hope never to use it”

“It was a relaxed atmosphere with no pressure, there were easy explanations and good discussions with others.”

“All parts (of this course) contributed to my knowledge. There was good leverage of participants experiences and collective knowledge, comfortable pace and respectful of participants time and stories”

“(The Course was) very good because it combines present day initiatives, Drug and Alcohol with common first aid.”

“The Course had very good content and presentation, extremely informative”

“Learning about the responses that need to be taken when an overdose occurs was the best part of this course for me. It also helped that the presenter was able to answer questions as they were presented to him”

“The lesson was wonderful, we learnt a great deal”.

“Thanks for the opportunity to try this before a real life situation. I now feel a lot more confident in myself”

“Simple instructions, easy to follow and very interesting”

“It’s a very good course which will be very helpful to a range of people in the community”.