By James Beaty
McAlester News-Capital, Okla.
HARTSHORNE, Okla. — Quick actions can make the difference between life and death when someone is in the throes of an opioid drug overdose.
One of the keys to saving someone’s life is administering naloxone, a medication that can temporarily reverse the opioid overdose effects.
Approximately 60 first responders, law enforcement officers, firefighters and public school representatives learned how to administer the life-saving naloxone during a special training session held Tuesday evening at the Hartshorne High School Auditorium.
Narcan is a brand name for naloxone, a medication that temporarily reverses the effects of opioid overdoses, including overdoses from fentanyl, heroin and all prescription or illicit opioids. One of the most common forms of naloxone available to the public comes in the form of Narcan nasal sprays.
Joe Williams, of Oklahoma CPR & More, conducted the session, including demonstrations on how to best administer Narcan through two different types of nasal sprays, including an intranasal administrator.
Williams began the training session by noting Pittsburg County had the third highest number of non-fatal drug overdoses in the state during the time period conducted by the most recent U.S. Census. Opioids were the most common cause of the overdoses, he said.
From 2016 through 2020, more than 3,300 Oklahomans died of drug overdoes, said Williams. He said Pittsburg County is in the top half of all counties in the U.S. when it comes to drug overdoses, citing the importance of knowing how to administer naloxone.
Holding a Narcan nasal applicator, Williams said it takes from two-to-three minutes to activate once a dose of naloxone is administered to an overdosed subject.
A typical dose holds four milligrams of naloxone, he said. Doses should be administered through the nose, two milligrams at a time, said Williams.
Give the first dose through one nostril, then wait five minutes and give the second dose in the other nostril, he said. The reason for giving it through both nostrils is in case one nostril is clogged, the naloxone should make its way through the other one.
“We are in a very high rate in Pittsburg County for unintended deaths,” Williams said, referring to unintended or accidental drug overdoses. Referring to the ongoing training on administering naloxone, Williams said “This is something we are trying to do to resolve this issue.”
Police, firefighters, first responders and others who have a supply of naloxone with them and know who to use it can save lives by administering it to opioid overdose victims before an ambulance arrives on the scene, he said
In Pittsburg County, the public can acquire naloxone without charge in the form of Narcan at the Carl Albert Mental Health Center at 1101 E. Monroe Ave., said Rachel Fisk, director of Recovery and Empowerment Services.
Go to the facility’s main entrance that faces the nearby McAlester Regional Health Center, enter through the front door and make the request, Fisk said.
Those picking up the naloxone do not have to give their names.
“They do have to give a little demographic information, such as their gender and age, which we’re required to report,” said Fisk.
Fentanyl test strips to determine if a substance contains fentanyl are also available to the public at the Carl Albert Mental Health Center,.
Naloxone and the fentanyl test strips can also be obtained by mail through the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s website.
Williams said naloxone is considered effective and safe, and has no effect on non-opioid overdoses.
That means if someone administers naloxone to someone who turns out not have overdosed on an opioid, it will have no effect.
Hartshorne Police Chief Jerry Ford originally arranged the training for members of local fire departments.
“It started as a fire department thing,” Ford said. “I wanted them to have the training.”
As plans for the training session came together, he expanded it to other law enforcement agencies.
“Then I contacted the schools,” said Ford, who invited representatives from both Hartshorne and Haileyville Public Schools to attend the sessions.
Those attending the training sessions included Hartshorne Public Schools Superintendent Jason Lindley and Haileyville Public Schools Superintendent Roger Hemphill, along with several teachers.
Williams noted that once someone who has overdosed has been given a dose of naloxone, its effects are temporary.
“It lasts for 30 minutes, so its half-life is 15 minutes,” he said.
That’s why an overdosed individual should be transported to a hospital, even if they have been revived by naloxone.
In case of an overdose, call 911 and give naloxone is the advice from the Oklahoma State Department of Health. If the overdosed subject has still not revived even after receiving the naloxone, do rescue breathing or chest compressions.
After administering the naloxone, stay with the person until help arrives, the health department advises.
Administering naloxone correctly can be a life-saver, Williams noted.
It blocks the opioid receptors and temporarily replaces “the high,” giving the person a chance to breath, according to information presented at the training session.
Anyone trained in administering naloxone is protected from liability through the state’s Good Samaritan law, said Williams.
(c)2023 the McAlester News-Capital (McAlester, Okla.)
Visit the McAlester News-Capital (McAlester, Okla.) at mcalesternews.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.