Opioid rescue training event set
Published 8:19 am Tuesday, January 16, 2018
A rescue training event that could potentially save lives is set for Monday, Jan. 22 at Cumberland County Public Library.
The training will focus on “understanding and responding to an opioid overdose emergency using Naloxone,” a flyer for the event cited. “Through timely administration, Naloxone can greatly increase the chances of survival due to an opioid overdose.”
Naloxone, also known as Narcan or Evzio, can be administered by a needle or by a nasal spray, Robin Sapp, Cumberland County Librarian, said during a presentation at the Jan 9 Cumberland County Board of Supervisors meeting.
“This training will allow this antidote — for loss of any other word — to get in the hands of drug users and people who might have family members who are drug users,” Sapp, who was certified to train on Naloxone administration, said.
The training will be hands-on, according to the flyer, and begin at 6 p.m. The event is limited to 20 people.
Sapp said she had first heard of the training program at a state library conference in October.
“What I was fortunate to have done there is to be trained to be a trainer who can teach individuals to administer Naloxone,” Sapp said, who noted no medical background is required to administer and likens the process to an epi-pen. “There’s really no risk in you administering this drug, but what it can do is immediately bring someone out of the heroin overdose.”
She said the Naloxone will block the brain receptors affected by overdose, reviving people who may be unconscious or breathing shallowly.
“And it won’t let it come back on for 20 minutes, long enough for someone to get help,” Sapp said.
Sapp said the event is personal to her as she has a niece who struggles with addiction.
According to a news release about a forum held in Cumberland County, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared the opioid addiction crisis in Virginia a public health emergency in late 2016, and recently, the federal government made a similar declaration for the entire nation.
“Opioids include illegal drugs such as heroin as well as prescription pain medications such as morphine, codeine, methadone, oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl and suboxone,” officials said in the release.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, opioid overdoses can occur when a patient misunderstands the directions for use, accidentally takes an extra dose, deliberately misuses a prescription opioid or an illicit drug such as heroin or takes opioid medications prescribed for someone else. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) reports that it has noticed a shift in the causes of overdose deaths. In its Opioid Overdose Data Quarterly Report for the Fourth Quarter of 2016, the VDH reported that prescription opioids had historically led to the largest number of overdose deaths; however, in 2015 illegal opioids such as heroin became the leading cause of fatal overdoses.
The November forum, organized by Cumberland County Commonwealth’s Attorney Pat Scales, discussed the opioid epidemic in hopes of sharing information and possible solutions with the community.
Those interested in attending the Jan. 22 event can call (804) 492-5807.