The Gloucester County Board of Commissioners and Gloucester County Addictions Task Force would like to remind residents that virtual NARCAN trainings are available throughout January.
Participants will learn how to administer naloxone to reverse a heroin or opioid overdose and will receive a free naloxone kit upon completing the training successfully via mail.
“We’ve had great success with our NARCAN trainings pre-pandemic. While we are unable to gather in person, there are virtual lessons to continue to educate our residents on how they can recognize and respond to opioid overdose,” said Director Robert M. Damminger.
"The opioid epidemic is one that we, as leaders, cannot take on alone," Gloucester County Commissioner Jim Jefferson, liaison to the Department of Health, said. "Beating this epidemic requires the help and support of our community as a whole. By enrolling in these free training sessions, residents can learn what they need to know about NARCAN and how to use it and could become the difference between whether an individual who overdoses survives or not."
The Overdose Prevention Act now allows doctors the ability to prescribe the opiate antidote Narcan (naloxone) to those in a position to help someone else during an overdose of heroin or other opioids. The law also eliminates civil and criminal liability to anyone who administers naloxone.
Free kits will be available to those who attend. Training sessions will take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 11 a.m.
Sessions are free to attend but pre-registration is required as space is limited. Email Joanna Dugan at narcan@utassoc.com to register.