Red Rock Behavioral Services presente a touchless Narcan training Monday, August 31, for International Overdose Awareness Day.
At the distribution in Weatherford, Red Rock distributed 13 Narcan kits, 13 Deterra bags and seven gun locks.
The touchless Narcan training was available in the parking lot of the locations provided below, and citizens will receive a free Narcan kit.
Locations include Red Rock Behavioral in Weatherford, and at the Clinton Frisco Center. Distributions also were at Red Rock BHS in Watonga, the Cordell Police Department, the Burns Flat SWODA office, Red Rock in Elk City and at the Sayre Broadway Center.
Narcan is an opioid overdose reversal medication.
For a story before the event, Weatherford Police Lt. Chris Cote provided some information regarding Narcan and the importance it has on individuals. He said Narcan is important to have when people overdose on opioids, because it saves many lives.
Lt. Cote said, “Unfortunately, there is drug abuse in our society, but this is another way to hopefully bring somebody back, and maybe we can get them help and get them away from drugs as well.”
Lt. Cote also said Narcan does not involve a hard training process at all. He said, users of Narcan do not have to be EMTs or paramedics to administer this drug, and pretty much anybody can do it. Narcan being available so readily to more people such as police officers, and citizens with the proper training is a very positive thing, and could have the potential to save many lives in the process.
Another positive which Lt. Cote said, if Narcan is administered to someone who wasn’t overdosing, but they were exhibiting signs of an overdose, it wouldn’t hurt them at all.
According to drugabuse.gov, “2018 data shows that every day, 128 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids.” For more information regarding the Narcan training, contact Ashley Jackson at (405) 318-8462, or Bittani Brice at (580) 660-5359.