A training in the use of the overdose reversal drug Narcan will be offered to the general public at the Old Schoolhouse in Greenport on Thursday, March 31. The training, given by Suffolk County EMS officials, will immediately follow a presentation by Michael’s Hope, a local nonprofit organization founded to combat heroin addiction by a Laurel man who lost his brother to an overdose.
The presentation will begin at 5:30 and the training will begin at 6:30 p.m. Seating is limited to 60 people. (Reserve a seat by writing to ihateheroin631@gmail.com or call 631-384-0142.)
Suffolk County yesterday announced four public Narcan training sessions in Suffolk beginning, next week, including one to be held in Riverhead on Tuesday, March 15 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Cornell Cooperative Extension. (Reserve a seat by writing to John.Stype@suffolkcountyny.gov or by calling 631-852-3200.)
The training, which meets New York State Department of Health requirements, will enable participants to recognize an opioid overdose, administer intranasal Narcan and take additional steps until EMS arrives.
Participants will receive a certificate of completion and an emergency resuscitation kit that includes nasal Narcan.
Narcan — generic name: naloxone — temporarily blocks the effects of opioids — including heroin and prescription pain medications — allowing a stricken individual to regain consciousness and resume normal breathing. Without the intervention, overdose victims often die. Overdose deaths continue to rise in Suffolk County, as heroin use continues to escalate.
See Heroin: How you can tell if someone you love is using and what to do about it
The county’s EMS agency has trained nearly 5,000 people since the FDA in 2012 approved a mucosal atomizer device that can be used to squirt the drug up the nose of a victim — rather than having to inject it. That made Narcan much more accessible for use by non-paramedics.
In November, the FDA approved an easy-to-use single-dose nasal spray form of naloxone. Last month, New York state health officials announced that the nasal spray would be sold over-the-counter by CVS and Rite Aid pharmacies. Officials did not announce when those sales would begin and it is not yet known what the dose will cost.
The county, with support of a grant from the state, distributes a home kit containing two doses free to all who receive the training. Each kit contains two vials containing one naloxone dose each, a syringe with no needle and a atomizer that converts the liquid into a spray. The device must be assembled to use. Trainers will instruct participants on how to assemble and use the device.
Narcan has been used effectively by paramedics, nurses and doctors in its injectable form for more than 40 years. If it is administered to someone who is not overdosing on an opioid, it does nothing. It has no side effects.
Recent changes to the Good Samaritan law in New York prevent anyone who calls 911 from being arrested for drug possession, with two exceptions: having narcotics and weapons; or possession with intent to sell. But for recreational use, there will be no arrest.
These changes have removed a barrier to getting overdose victims help quickly. Previously, people would try other things — that don’t work — to revive someone who is overdosing, such as an ice bath. Or they would bring the victim to a public place and leave him or her there before calling an ambulance, wasting precious time for getting medical help.
The other Narcan training classes announced yesterday by the county health department are:
Bohemia
Thursday March 03, 2016, 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Connetquot Public Library
760 Ocean Ave. Bohemia, NY 11716
RSVP To 631-665-2311
Setauket
Thursday March 31, 2016, 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Setauket Fire Station
Nicolls Rd. Setauket, NY 11733
RSVP to 631-854-1650 or seth.squicciarino@suffolkcountyny.gov
Middle Island
Friday, May 13, 2016, 6:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m.
Longwood Public Library
800 Middle County Road, Middle Island NY 11953
RSVP to Krystina Sconzo at 631-207-0073 or sconzok@nysa.us
