Craig County Area First Responders to Receive Naloxone Kits

Craig County Area First Responders to Receive Naloxone Kits, Training From Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health Prevention Programs

  Grand Nation will hold initial training and distribution of naloxone kits Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the Craig County Community Center.

  Prescription drug overdoses kill more Oklahomans than motor vehicle crashes. According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, prescription painkillers (opioids) are the most common class of drugs involved in overdose deaths in Oklahoma.

  The medication naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, is a safe, highly effective medication that can reverse the effects of opioid overdose.

  In an emergency overdose situation, every second counts. Since law enforcement personnel are often the first to arrive on the scene of an overdose, training officers to recognize an opioid overdose and use naloxone to intervene can save lives.

  Grand Nation, Inc. is partnering with Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health Prevention Programs and Restoring Lives Network to equip Craig County area first responders with naloxone kits and training.

  All law enforcement agencies, fire departments and emergency medical services in the Craig County area are invited to attend Naloxone Training Tuesday, Feb. 27. Participants will be trained in how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose and how to dispense a dose of naloxone.

  Through a grant provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Restoring Lives Network will provide free naloxone kits to all Craig County area first responders who attend the training. The free naloxone kits will be distributed on completion of the training, which will be provided by Cherokee Nation Emergency Medical Services.

  The Naloxone Training will be held in the Ketchum and Bluejacket rooms at the Craig County Community Center, 915 East Apperson Road, in Vinita. Dinner will be provided at the Naloxone Training, which will begin at 6:30 p.m.

  Naloxone Training participants will receive two hours of continuing education credits, including CLEET, Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training.

  Registration is required for the training and the free naloxone kits.

  For more information or to register, call the Grand Nation office at (918) 276-2192.

ABOUT GRAND NATION

  Grand Nation is a nonprofit grassroots coalition that has been serving the Grand Lake area since 2012. An umbrella organization for a number of different programs, Grand Nation joins families seeking a better life with the resources and community organizations that can help them achieve their goal. Located at 120 E. Illinois, Suite 306, in Vinita, Grand Nation serves the communities of Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, including Vinita, Grove, Jay, Afton, Ketchum, Langley, Miami, Bluejacket and Spavinaw. The phone number is (918) 276-2192.

###