Narcan Saves Lives

(Part 17: In the Open blog series)

by Stephanie Pericich

I suspect that most of you are familiar with the Heimlich Maneuver. Some of you may also be trained in CPR or AED. And almost everyone knows to how to call Poison Control in an emergency. But there is another, lesser-known way to save a life: Narcan training.

Narcan is a nasal spray version of Naloxone, which is used to reverse opioid emergencies within 2-3 minutes. Although it is not a substitute for calling 911, Narcan can and does save lives. And you need not be a medical professional to administer it.

It’s easy to find training on Narcan. Here are just a couple of examples:

• A free 30-minute (or less) Narcan training session follows every monthly meeting of Alliance for Healthy Communities, and there is no need to attend the entire AHC meeting to attend the training. (https://www.ahc-stl.org/)

• Prevent+Ed offers a more extensive free training session each month. You can also obtain Narcan through Prevent+Ed’s website, so that you can carry it with you to administer in the event of an emergency. (https://prevented.org/)

Please consider joining the ranks of those of us who are Narcan-trained. It may help you to save a life someday. Maybe even someone you know. Maybe even someone you love.

Stephanie Pericich is a Parkway area wife, mother and an independent author of non-fiction and poetry. Ms. Pericich has volunteered to share her experiences and perspectives as a mother navigating the challenges of parenting for the purpose of encouraging community conversations about keeping kids safe and healthy.