Those interested in obtaining the overdose reversal drug Narcan continue to have resources available. Over the past year, the Marshall and Pulaski county health departments have offered training events for the public.
Training sessions held by the Starke County Health Department have generally been limited to local police and fire departments, but the department does have doses available for the public, according to Health Nurse Frank Lynch. “If members of the public want any, they’re more than welcome to contact me,” he says, “and I can do a brief training with them, so I can supply them with some Narcan, if needed.”
He says that there are other groups who have offered public training in the local area, but there are some advantages to getting the drug through the Health Department. “It’s temperature-sensitive, so as far as this individual group, I have no idea how they’re keeping it, what have you, if it’s just being stored in the trunk of a car,” Lynch explains.
Additionally, the Health Department’s Narcan is administered nasally rather than by injection. “That’s kind of what you prefer,” Lynch explains. “That way, you don’t have extra syringes or anything like that floating around in the community.”
For more information, call the Starke County Health Department at 574-772-9137. You can find a list of other providers at optIN.in.gov.
