Training on how to save someone from an overdose will be provided from 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2 at Kiamich Tech - Center for Workforce Advancement at 314 E. Main St.
Jim and Patty Swink, members of the Durant Rotary Club, will be providing the training that is free and open to the public.
The program is by the local Rotary Club and North America Rotary Action Group for Addiction Prevention.
Mrs. Swink said that participants will be provided with a dose of Opvee to be administered to someone believed to be overdosing. This is the newest and strongest overdose reversal medication.
“This is an overdose prevention program that they do through Rotary,” Swink said. “There’s a drug called Opvee which is four times more effective than Narcan. I talked to a police officer the other night. He said they had an overdose victim they gave three Narcans before he revived. The Opvee would take one.”
Participants will be provided with one dose of Opvee at the end of the training and if the dose is ever used, another one can be obtained for free, according to Swink.
“We go through the program and it teaches people how to know the signs of someone who is in overdose, but even if they’re not having an overdose, this won’t hurt them if you administer it,” Swink said. “Maybe they’re having a heart attack and you don’t know if it’s a heart attack or it’s an overdose. If you give this to them, it’s not going to hurt them, but it stays in the system 11 hours where the Narcan is maybe one and a half to three hours.”
Registration closes Sept. 22 and to register, contact pattyswink@yahoo.com.