As heroin-related deaths continue to rise across the county and state, Carroll County Public Schools are taking a precaution.
There were 12 heroin-related deaths in Carroll during the first half of 2016, up from eight during the first half of 2015. Statewide, heroin deaths rose from 336 in the first six months of 2015 to 566 in 2016, according to a report from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
As reported in the Carroll County Times,
As of this school year, all public middle and high schools in the county now carry the opioid antidote Naloxone, which blocks the opioid receptor sites and can reverse the effects of an overdose.
Nurses from all schools in the school system were trained in August on how to use Naloxone, Supervisor of Health Services Filipa Gomes said.
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Since adding Naloxone to school nurses’ emergency bags, they haven’t had to use the drug, Gomes said. And they’ve had an overdose at a school in the past.
Yet adding it to schools was just a “natural process” of making an emergency plan, Gomes said.
“We want to try to get Naloxone out any place that we can,” said Ed Singer, county health officer at the Carroll County Health Department.
Being trained to use the drug is an opportunity to save someone’s life, he added. And at this point with the heroin epidemic, Singer said, there’s probably more of a chance to save someone’s life using Naloxone than with CPR, he said.
The health department is working to reach as many people, and partner with as many organizations in Carroll as possible.
Read the full article for more information.
At this year’s MACo Winter Conference, you can receive hands-on training and certification in recognizing and responding to opioid overdose by administering naloxone. The training, provided by the Maryland Association of County Health Officers (MACHO), will provide conference attendees with a unique opportunity to learn about overdose prevention, recognition and response. Upon completion of the training, participants will receive a certificate and a kit containing educational materials and the medication.
Here are more details.
Special Session: Learn to Save a Life – Naloxone Training for Opioid Overdoses
Description: Participants will receive in-person, hands-on training, and certification in recognizing and responding to opioid overdose with naloxone. Naloxone is a prescription medication that safely and effectively reverses an opioid (heroin and prescription pain relievers) overdose. Upon completion of the training, participants will receive a certificate and a kit containing educational materials and the medication.
Date/Time: Wednesday, December 7, 2016; 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm
Learn more about MACo’s Winter Conference:
