Suffolk County, NY - August 14, 2018 - Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today announced an Opioid Overdose Prevention Class will take place on Wednesday, August 22, 2018 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and encouraged all residents to participate in order to gain the skills that will enable them to save lives. The training, which meets New York State Department of Health requirements, will enable participants to recognize an opioid overdose, administer intranasal naloxone, better known as Narcan™, and take additional time-dependent steps while Emergency Medical Service teams are in transit. Participants will receive a certificate of completion and an emergency resuscitation kit that includes the intranasal Narcan™
“My administration is committed to providing more resources, more education and more training to fight back against the scourge of the opioid epidemic,” said Suffolk County Executive Bellone. “These training classes, which provide everyday citizens with the power to save lives, have proven to be a force multiplier, augmenting our robust public safety system, and they are an integral part of our multifaceted approach to dealing with the opioid epidemic.”
Since the inception of Suffolk County’s Opioid Overdose Prevention Program in 2013, Suffolk County Department of Health has trained 11,256 non-traditional responders, each of whom received a Narcan™ kit. In addition, local hospitals, which offer opioid overdose prevention training and Narcan™ kits under Suffolk County’s license with New York State, have dispensed 1,185 kits since they began in 2016, bringing the total to 12,441.
Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Tomarken said, “I commend the staff of the health department’s division of emergency medical services, which very early on recognized the need for this program and was among the first in New York State and nationwide to offer the opioid overdose prevention training to community members. I encourage anyone who has not taken the class to do so. You might save a life.”
The class will take place as follows:
Wednesday August 22, 2018, in conjunction with Legislator Kevin J. McCaffrey
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
West Babylon Fire Department Headquarters
126 Arnold Ave, West Babylon, NY 11704
RSVP Required to Zachary.Giglio@suffolkcountyny.gov OR 631-854-1100
Suffolk County has approached the opioid epidemic on multiple levels, working with lawmakers, medical providers, medical prescribers, parents, school districts, law enforcement, local fire and emergency medical service agencies, and community partners.
Suffolk County hosts on its website a Substance Abuse Resource Center, featuring powerful videos, a directory of substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery services, and a listing of available opioid overdose treatment classes, some of which include the “Ugly Truth,” a program for parents, conducted by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner, Police Department, and Department of Health’s Division of Community Mental Hygiene.
For more information visit www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/HealthServices.