A Narcan training session will be offered on Wednesday, November 30, at 11 a.m. at the Southampton Firehouse, 470 Hampton Road, in Southampton. Narcan saves lives by reversing a drug overdose.
Participants will learn to recognize the signs of opiate overdose, how to reverse an overdose, and hear about the new ways overdoses are being treated. A Narcan kit will be available to all those who complete the training.
The training session is being co-presented by the Village of Southampton, Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon, the Southampton Village Fire Department and David Falkowski of Open Minded Organics.
Opioid addiction has greatly increased in the past decade with significant rises coming during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a report from the New York State Comptroller’s office this comes even after prescriptions of opioids in New York have decreased since the high point of 2013.
“Unfortunately there are few families that have not had to deal with the disease of addiction. In order to solve this problem, we must remove the stigma, and talk about how best to help each other. If you, or someone you know is dealing with addiction please know there are resources available to help, and people who care deeply about assisting you in recovery. I hope by hosting this training we can help save the life of a loved one who is struggling,” said Southampton Village Mayor Jesse Warren in a press release.
Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming said, “Narcan trainings across Suffolk County are educating the community on how best to respond to overdose incidents, save lives, and turn the tide of the opioid epidemic. I’m looking forward to this critically important training to raise awareness and ensure that our communities have the resources necessary to respond and save lives.”
Help is available for those experiencing an addiction and their loved ones by calling Suffolk County’s Drug & Alcohol Hotline at 631-979-1700. A list of additional resources is available at Long Island Addiction Resource Center’s website, longislandaddictionresourcecenter.org.
To sign up for the Narcan training, visit eventbrite.com/e/we-stand-aware-east-end-community-narcan-training-tickets-467725919817.