A Second Shot: Reducing Opioid Overdoses through Community Naloxone Initiatives
With opioid abuse and misuse continuing to spiral out of control, approximately 44 people die daily from a prescription painkiller overdose in the U.S., and drug overdose is now the No. 1 cause of accidental deaths, surpassing car crashes. Naloxone (Narcan)– an antidote to reverse an opioid overdose – is one of several important tools that communities must arm themselves with to prevent and reduce overdose deaths. The Blount County Substance Abuse Prevention Action Team (SAPAT) began working with local law enforcement, fire departments and school systems in 2015 on the first coalition-led Naloxone initiative in Tennessee, and the team is already seeing outstanding results. In this training, participants will learn about assessing community needs and readiness, and forming partnerships to begin a Naloxone initiative. Participants will explore possible barriers and challenges that occur when you begin this type of initiative. They will also gain insight on agency policy development, Naloxone-related legislation, reporting tools, kit development and distribution, and Naloxone administration.