Naloxone training available for public

A training session will be held for the public to learn to use lifesaving intervention during a drug overdose, by administering a nasal spray. The training session, sponsored by the Pennyroyal Center and Champions for a Drug Free Muhlenberg County, will teach citizens how to respond to opioid overdose with naloxone.

Narcan is an effective first response and is administered in a nasal spray given to someone experiencing an opioid overdose. Narcan is a common brand of naloxone, which is only effective on an overdose caused by opioids, including prescriptions painkillers such as oxycontin, fentanyl, methadone and vicodin, as well as heroin.

Champions co-chair Vicki Yonts said the group has been working with Pennyroyal Center to get more doses of Narcan into the hands of the public. School staff recently went through training, and Champions is workin on installing opioid rescue kits in county schools.

While there have not been any overdoses at school, Yonts said, being prepared can save lives. “With fentanyl, seconds count,” she said. Fentanyl is a potent opioid responsible for a rise in deaths in recent years.

Naloxone is safe and cannot harm someone, even if they are not experiencing an opioid overdose. It can be administered to someone if they seem like they are having an overdose, without worry of harming them if they are not.

The training session will cover overdose statistics, and why this is such important information to be sharing, said Pennyroyal Center’s Chandler Greenwell. “We want to spread as much information and awareness about it as we can.” She said that awareness can also reduce stigma associated with opioid abuse.

“You never know, you could walk up on someone who is overdosing, and we teach the signs and symptoms of an overdose so you might be able to help,” Greenwell said. “You could potentially save a life.”

The Centers for Disease Control reports nearly 50,000 people died from an opioid-involved overdose in 2019. For this reason, the CDC recommends naloxone be widely available. People who are at an increased risk of opioid overdose should carry naloxone, including those who are taking high-dose opioid medications.

Yonts said she had a personal experience where she wishes she had a dose of Narcan available. Her father was taking a prescribed opiate for pain when he accidentally took too many. She found her father unresponsive. As soon as the ambulance arrived, they administered Narcan. “He came right back. If I had had some available to me, I could have helped quicker,” Yonts said.

“We have a lot of parents who know their children are on drugs,” Yonts said. “It’s just good to have.”

The Narcan training will be offered for free, for anyone who would like to attend. The session will be held at the Harbin Memorial Library in Greenville, at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 11. For more information call 270-754-4671.