Pulaski County residents have a few chances to learn how to use the potentially life-saving drug naloxone. The Pulaski County Health Department says it’s gotten overdose rescue kits from the Indiana State Department of Health, to distribute to the local community. As part of that effort, the Health Department will host four free training events over the coming weeks.
The training will be offered Saturday, June 22 at 10:30 a.m. at the Francesville-Salem Township Public Library; Thursday, June 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the Monterey-Tippecanoe Township Public Library; Wednesday, July 10 at 6:00 p.m. at the Pulaski County Public Library in Winamac; and Thursday, July 18 at 6:00 p.m. at the Medaryville-West Side Center.
More than 1,800 Hoosiers died of drug poisoning in 2017, according to the State Department of Health, while almost another 8,200 went to Indiana emergency rooms with non-fatal opioid overdoses. Health Department officials say naloxone can reverse opioid overdoses, but it’s non-addictive and not harmful if given to someone who hasn’t taken opioids.
Naloxone is available without a prescription from the Pulaski County Health Department or any other registered dispenser. You can find a location near you at optIN.in.gov.
