Opioid Overdoses: Free Narcan Training Planned In Oak Creek

OAK CREEK, WI — As fatal opioid overdoses continue in Milwaukee County and across the nation, local health departments are helping citizens train on how they can save a life with the overdose-reversing drug naloxone — often known as its brand name Narcan.

Training sessions on how to use the drug have popped up across Milwaukee County in recent months. In Oak Creek, one such session is scheduled for Saturday, the city's health department announced on social media.

The free training session in Oak Creek will help people to gain the tools and skills to reverse an opioid overdose, according to the sign-up sheet. People will learn how to recognize the signs and symptoms of an overdose, and how to administer naloxone.

Registration is required for the event, which takes place at The Salvation Army Oak Creek Church and Community Center, 8853 South Howell Avenue, at 10 a.m. The session comes as a joint effort between The Salvation Army, the health department and Oak Creek police.

More information about the Oak Creek training session on Saturday is available through the Salvation Army website.

While anyone in the U.S. is permitted to carry naloxone, the CDC recommends it most for people who have an opioid use disorder and people who know someone with an opioid use disorder. The agency said carrying the drug can provide an extra layer of protection for people at risk of overdose.

Thousands of people have died from overdoses in Milwaukee County since 2015. The county's tracker charts 3,041 total.

Since 2015, there were 47 fatal overdoses in the 53154 ZIP code and 54 fatal overdoses in the 53172 ZIP code.

So far in 2022, 173 people in Milwaukee County have died from opioid overdoses, the tracker showed.

Find more data about overdoses in Milwaukee County through this online tracker.