Free Opioid Overdose Response Training Scheduled

The Garrett County Health Department has scheduled a free Opioid Overdose Response Training for Wednesday, August 9, at their Oakland Office beginning at 3:30 p.m. Persons 18 and older who complete the training will receive a certificate to carry (possess) and administer Naloxone to a person who is overdosing. For more information or to register, call 301-334-7730 or 301-895-3111.

“The Garrett County Health Department has worked hard to prevent all forms of drug and alcohol abuse as well as to provide excellent out-patient treatment in our clinics,” said Garrett County’s Health Officer Bob Stephens. “With the recent nation-wide drug epidemic, we feel compelled and morally obligated to help individuals survive an overdose in order to get them into treatment and recovery.”

The Health Department has trained more than 300 people in Overdose Response Courses at various locations throughout the county since the classes started in 2015. The course is in response to the nationwide increase in the number of accidental overdose deaths due to the abuse and misuse of prescription opiates and heroin. Drug overdose deaths are now a leading cause of injury death in the United States – surpassing motor vehicle crashes.

The overdose prevention course covers recognizing the signs and symptoms of an overdose, activating emergency response, rescue breathing, recovery support, administration of Naloxone, and follow up treatment.