Originally published in New Lenox Patriot
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 130 Americans die every day from an opioid-related overdose. These numbers are overwhelming, especially for the Substance Use Initiative Task Group of the New Lenox Safe Communities Coalition, which aims to reduce preventable injuries and deaths. Their latest plan to fight back? A naloxone training class that not only teaches how to use the life-saving medication, but also distributed it to attendees.
The free training class took place Thursday, Feb. 27 at Village Hall, where more than 80 people learned about how to identify and respond to an overdose, the Illinois good Samaritan law, as well as the risks of substance-use disorder and how to find help for someone struggling with substance abuse.
The class was led by Dr. Kathleen Burke, the director of substance use initiatives for the Will County Executive Office. With a Ph.D. in education, she wants her training sessions to get the community better informed, but ultimately, to save lives.
“Naloxone is a harm reduction strategy that will prevent a person from overdosing and dying, but it also allows us time and an opportunity for a person to get into treatment, because hopefully they will interface with someone in the emergency room or the hospital that can help them get into the proper care,” she explained.
During an overdose, opiates will cluster on breathing receptors on the brain, slowing or stopping the person’s breathing altogether. Naloxone, more commonly known by brand-name Narcan, works by pushing the opiates off the receptors, allowing the person to breathe again. It can take two to five minutes for that to happen, and often takes more than one dose, which is why kits have two doses. Naloxone only lasts 30-90 minutes, so seeking medical treatment after use to prevent another overdose is essential.
In 2019, there were 2,167 opioid-related deaths in the State, with 101 deaths in Will County. 80% of those deaths in Will County were attributed to synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which is up to 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the National Institute of Health.
“There are no instructions on the bag. There’s nothing that says what amount you should take so you don’t die,” said Dr. Burke about synthetic opioids during her presentation.
After a loved one overdosed and was revived with naloxone, June Skowronski of Tinley Park took it upon herself to become naloxone trained.
“I see it a lot, I have other people in my life who have used and I just wanted to understand better and be prepared, because if they don’t have the proper help and people that support and believe in them, how are they going to survive?” Skowronski asked.
Jan Dombrowski, the executive director of the Heroin Epidemic Relief Organization, or HERO, got involved with the organization because of her two nephews in addiction. While one of her nephews recently celebrated five years sober, she credits HERO with her learning how to help and not enable the nephew that still struggles with addiction.
At these training classes, Dombrowski features props from HERO’s “Hidden in Plain Sight” trailer, which is designed to look like a teen’s bedroom with ordinary items placed in plain view to show where drugs or alcohol can be hidden. She says that it’s important for parents to start the conversation early, and for grandparents to even talk to their grandkids.
“I think we’re losing a generation, and I can’t sit idly by while this generation is dying,” she said. “There were 80,000 overdose deaths last year; 80,000 Americans died. They’re talking about the Coronavirus now, and that’s important, but 80,000 in one year?”
For Dan Martin, safe community coordinator for the village, it’s all about saving lives.
“This isn’t an issue that we can bury our head in the sand for, and we don’t. We recognize that we aren’t immune to drug overdoses, so that’s why we do programs like this and the most wonderful things about it is the success stories we’ve had,” Martin said. “If one life is saved, that’s tremendous. The more we can do to reduce these overdoses, that’s more that we’re doing to reduce deaths.”