HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hospice & HomeCare of Reno County in conjunction with the Reno County Health Department, Rise Up Reno, Horizons Mental Health Center’s Recovery Response Team, Reno Recovery Collaborative and DCCCA have scheduled three Naloxone Training sessions to be held at 9 a.m., noon and 5:30 p.m., Tuesday April 19 in the Pavilion at the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center.
Naloxone, a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. As an opioid antagonist, Naloxone binds to opioid receptors and can reverse and block the effects of other opioids, such as heroin, morphine, and oxycodone.
Administered when a patient is experiencing symptoms of opioid overdose, Naloxone is a temporary treatment and its effects are not long lasting. Therefore, it is critical to obtain medical intervention as soon as possible after administering/receiving Naloxone.
Seth Dewey, Substance Misuse Health Educator for the Reno County Health Department, said overdose deaths are rising in the Hutchinson community to a level that requires a public education campaign to alert the public of this growing problem. “When we as a community can come together and educate one another and be educated by members from our community, especially those with lived experience, we are empowered with that knowledge, understanding and empathy,” Dewey said. “Once educated and empowered on the problem, we can go forward and engage others in our communities on the action needed.”
The one-hour sessions are free and open to the public of all ages. To RSVP, please complete an online registration form.
Stacy Goss, Community Liaison for Hospice & HomeCare of Reno County said the goal of the sessions is to educate the public on how to recognize abuse, misuse, overdose and how to respond when the situation arises.