Oneida County Offers Free Community Narcan Training

The Oneida County Opiate Task Force and the Oneida County Department of Health are working to expand the availability of Narcan by making trainings available to county departments, community agencies and the public at large.

Naloxone (also known as Narcan) is administered as an injection or nasal spray and can temporarily reverse an overdose. The effects of Narcan begin within 2-5 minutes after the medication is administered.

“Narcan saves lives,” said Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. “The more people who are trained in its use, the better chance we have at our number one goal, which is keeping people alive.”

Oneida County is sponsoring community Narcan Trainings at the Center for Family Life and Recovery (CFLR), at 502 Court Street in Utica on the following dates:

• May 9 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
• May 17 from noon to 1 p.m.
• June 11 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• June 17 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The training sessions are free and open to the public. Registration is not required but suggested as seating is limited. Please call CFLR to reserve a seat at 315-733-1709 or visit www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com

Additional Narcan trainings are also available for county employees at their respective worksites.

“We encourage anyone who works in a field where they come in contact with individuals who are at risk of needing Narcan or certainly family members, loved ones or friends of those who are using these drugs to take this important training,” said Oneida County Director of Health, Phyllis D. Ellis, BSN, MS, F.A.C.H.E. “If you take the training, you could be giving someone a second chance to recover and live.”

The Narcan training sessions are part of a sweeping effort the Oneida County Opiate Task Force to address the opioid overdose crisis.