Save A Life Day: Health Dept. Offers Free Narcan Training, Info, Kits

BRANFORD, CT —The numbers are alarming. And for family and friends of those whose struggles with substance abuse ended with a fatal overdose, the anguish, and the grief, torturous.

Tuesday, in honor of National Public Health Week, health departments across Connecticut are participating in Save a Life Day with education and training on the use of naltrexone, known as Narcan, an opioid overdose reversal medication approved by the FDA.

The national safety council says the majority of preventable drug overdose deaths, 78%, involve opioids, totaling 78,012 in 2022.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the U.S., there were approximately 109,600 drug-overdose-related deaths in the 12-month period ending January 31, 2023, at a rate of 300 deaths per day.

In Connecticut, there were 1,452 accidental drug intoxications in 2022 and 1,329 in 2023. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is at least 50 times stronger than morphine, was the culprit detected in 85 percent of the deaths. The drug was involved in just 4 percent of fatal overdoses in 2012.

The East Shore District Health Department, which serves Branford, East Haven, North Branford but also serves and partners with Guilford and Madison, is holding free walk-in naloxone training sessions at its headquarters during business hours, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 688 E. Main St., Branford.

Health Educator Barbara Naclerio shared that the health department "is hoping to empower individuals to respond to opioid overdoses, the training will give participants life-saving skills and knowledge."

Participants will receive free naloxone kits during the session, ensuring they are prepared to step in during a health crisis.

"This training day will help ESDHD's mission to build community well-being and promoting harm reduction strategies," the department noted in a news release. "Join us on April 2nd to learn how you can make a difference and potentially save a life."

Contact ESDHD Public Health Nurse Theresa Heier attheier@esdhd.org or Health Educator, Barbara Naclerio at bnaclerio@esdhd.org or call the ESDHD at 203-481-4233 for more information.