Brittany Hanes with Hancock County Health Department provided NARCAN training to volunteers.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
HANCOCK COUNTY — When someone comes upon a person who has experienced an opioid overdose, it can be frightening. However, thanks to medical advances, there is a quick way to save a life even before first responders arrive.
The Hancock County Health Department (HCHD) provided Naloxone, more commonly known as NARCAN, usage training Thursday evening. Brittany Cecil, a public health nurse with the HCHD led the session. The event was held at the Hancock County Emergency Management Center, 640 S. Franklin St., Greenfield. The gathering was open to first responders, the public or basically anyone who wanted to know how to help someone suspected of having overdosed on opioids.
“We want to teach people how to administer NARCAN and to know what to look for before they do it,” Cecil said. “This is probably one of the easiest trainings and one of the easiest medications to administer, because it is a simple nasal spray.”
Official statistics from the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) say 15 people died in Hancock County due to any type of drug overdose in 2022. The local overdose numbers would be even higher if not for the administration of Narcan. The nasal spray is a potentially lifesaving medication designed to help reverse the effects of an opioid overdose in minutes and is used by local first responders on a regular basis.
Some 20 people attended the training session where Cecil explained more about NARCAN which only works if there is an opioid overdose. One of the questions asked was how does one determine when it is an opioid overdose and not something else.
“We teach the signs and symptoms to look for,” Cecil said. “Typically with opioids you’re going to have pin-point pupils, slow respiration, gurgling and choking noses, a limp body and blue lips.”
Cecil also reminded people to check out the environmental surroundings and look for evidence of drug use, such as syringes.
Officials from the Hancock County Community Organization Active in Disaster (COAD) helped organize the recent training event.
“Whether you’re adding this course to supplement other first aid training or are taking it as your first exposure to first aid training, you will gain the knowledge you need to respond to an opioid overdose emergency,” EMA/COAD Leadership Team member Jim Peters said.
The session provided those who attended with the knowledge and confidence needed to respond to a known or suspected opioid overdose emergency. Those who attended learned how to recognize the signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose; the appropriate care to provide based on the person’s breathing and level of responsiveness and how to give naloxone or NARCAN to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
NARCAN, officials stated, should be administered to anyone who presents signs of opioid overdose or when opioid overdose is suspected. NARCAN has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has been used for decades by EMS personnel to reverse opioid overdose and resuscitate individuals who have overdosed on opioids.
To increase the amount of NARCAN available in communities across Indiana, The IDOH has used state and federal funds to provide NARCAN to local health departments (LHDs). The IDOH has generated several grant opportunities for its distribution program, in which LHDs were awarded and responsible for distributing the free doses and providing naloxone training within their communities.
Deputy Chief of the Greenfield Police Department Charles McMichael said GPD officers carry NARCAN and are ready to administer it when called.
“All of our officers have Narcan and receive continuous training on how and when to use them,” McMichael said.
So far in 2023, GPD officers have used 17 doses. They used 26 doses in 2022 on 17 different victims and had nine victims who received multiple doses, either on the same incident or throughout the year. The numbers are slightly higher than 2021, when they administered 24 doses of Narcan to 17 victims. In 2020, they administered 17 doses of Narcan to 13 victims while in 2019 they administered 18 doses to eight victims.
Cecil stated it’s always rewarding any time she gets an opportunity to teach anyone in the community about public health issues and ways citizens can help each other. She also noted while the county health department supplies NARCAN to all county and local law enforcement departments, the only place that makes NARCAN available to the public, via Overdose Lifeline, is The Landing Place, 18 W. South Street, Greenfield.
“With Healthy 365, we do provide doses to them to train people when they reach out,” Cecil said.
