Santa Clara County will host training at 3 p.m. Thursday in Rinconada Library to show community members how to administer a drug to counter opioid overdoses. ensure prevention measures for community members in light of increasing opioid overdose.
The Santa Clara Opioid Overdose Prevention (SCOOP) campaign is hosting an hour-long training session covering how to administer Narcan — the brand name for naloxone — and providing a space for participant practice. Naloxone is a medicine that attaches itself to opioid receptors and rapidly blocks the effects of an opioid overdose.
This event will be hosted for the first time at a public city library says Simitian. As opposed to libraries belonging to the county, city libraries allow SCOOP to engage with other groups within Santa Clara County in hopes to decrease overdose deaths.
Senate Bill 234 addresses the rise in opioid-related deaths by making opioid antagonists such as naloxone available in schools and venues accessed by high-risk age groups. This bill is the reason why SCOOP plans to expand knowledge on how to administer Narcan.
Joe Simitian is a Santa Clara County supervisor and chair of the health and hospitals committee. He engages with the distribution of Narcan and prepares communities to react to the crisis at large.
“We are dealing with a drug whose impact is deadly — it can, in many instances, be reversed if people have Narcan available and know how to administer it,” Simitian told Anthro. “We know from the numbers that sooner or later, most of us are going to know someone who has been part of this very tragic story.”
According to Santa Clara’s Behavioral Health Services, the county has had 639 overdose deaths in which 415 involved fentanyl in the past 5 years. In 2022, there were 160 fentanyl deaths, 15 more than in 2018. Simitian says that the goals of SCOOP and the simple and straightforward training can save lives.
“The first goal is prevention by virtue of education, but the second goal is that if there’s a moment of crisis, someone has Narcan close at hand and knows how to administer it in the moment … and potentially save a life,” Simitian said.
Simitian said that all in attendance will receive a free Narcan kit while supplies last.
“This is one of those times where the risk is great, and the consequences can be fatal and young people and their parents need to be smart — not panicked — but concerned,” Simitian said. “Keep an eye out for a situation where someone may be at risk and be prepared if that crisis moment arrives.”To register for the Narcan Training Workshop, follow this link to Palo Alto Library Events.