Westport To Host Narcan Training This Month

WESTPORT, CT - Human Services Director Elaine Daignault announced Wednesday that the Westport Prevention Coalition will host a free life-saving Naloxone/Narcan training event on Thursday, Jan. 11. The event will take place at 7 p.m. at Westport Town Hall.

Ellen Brezovsky, LCSW, Director of Community Relations at Silver Hill Hospital will facilitate the training, according to a release.

The Westport Prevention Coalition, a partnership of Westport residents and professionals, is partnering with Silver Hill and Progressive Diagnostics to educate individuals about the risks of heroin and other opioid use and the potentially life-saving benefits of naloxone.

Naloxone (Narcan), an antidote for an opioid overdoses, will be provided to the first 30 registrants who attend the training session which will teach participants how to identify an opioid overdose and administer the naloxone.

The community presentation will include an overview of opioid use in Connecticut, discussion on the risk factors for opioid dependence, information on how to identify an opioid overdose and training in the administration of naloxone.

“Upon completion of the training, a limited number of registered participants will also receive a free, two-dose kit of naloxone for intranasal administration,” Daignault said in a release

Daignault also emphasized that pre-registration is required.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), overdose deaths involving prescription opioids have quadrupled since 1999 as have the sales of opioid analgesic medications. From 1999 to 2014, more than 165,000 people died of prescription opioid overdoses in the United States.

According to one published study of opioid overdose reversal with naloxone, between 1996 and 2010, naloxone reversed more than 10,000 overdoses in communities nationwide. Studies suggest that widespread access to naloxone could reduce the opioid overdose death rate by as much as 50 percent.

Ellen Brezovsky, LCSW from Silver Hill Hospital, is trained to teach community members how to administer naloxone.

“Silver Hill is invested in preventing opioid overdoses” Brezovsky said in a release. “Anything we can do to decrease the risk of accidental overdose and death from opioids is a top priority, and we look forward to continuing to partner with community agencies to accomplish that goal.”

The Westport Prevention Coalition engages in substance abuse prevention efforts in town by coordinating the Positive Youth Development Initiative, a partnership of the Town (Department of Human Services/Westport Police Department/Westport Weston Health District), Westport Schools, PTA’s and Positive Directions.

This year, Human Services has contracted with Positive Directions to coordinate and develop a 5-year strategic planning process for prevention programs and activities in collaboration with our PYD partners.

Registration is required. Please RSVP by email to adaugelli@westportct.gov or call the Deptartment of Human Services at (203) 341-1050 with any questions.

Image via Shutterstock