With the heroin epidemic impacting college students nationwide, Nassau County is offering free lifesaving overdose prevention seminars to college campuses throughout Nassau. Nassau officials will offer this seminar to nursing students at SUNY Farmingdale on Thursday, Sept. 29.
“Nassau County is combating heroin and opioid abuse through a multi-pronged approach that includes Overdose Prevention Seminars on college campuses,” County Executive Ed Mangano stated. “Together, we will train educators, family members and students to identify the signs of drug addictions and administer an overdose reversal agent that has saved thousands of lives.”
Trainees, age 18 and over, will learn the warning signs of drug addiction, new and effective treatment options, personal stories of recovery, and how to administer Naloxone—the lifesaving antidote to a heroin or pain-pill overdose. Since 2012, overdose prevention seminars have been offered to faculty and students at Molloy College, Adelphi University, Nassau Community College and Hofstra University. Officials have trained more than 7,200 citizens to administer Naloxone.
Approximately 200 Nassau County residents died from heroin and prescription painkillers in 2015. Hundreds more were saved from overdoses by those trained to administer Naloxone. Naloxone has been used by paramedics and emergency room doctors for decades, to save lives. A 2006 state law allows citizens to administer Naloxone in an attempt to save a life, without fear of liability. Nassau County has provided more than 155 training seminars since 2012. At least 50 trainees have reported using that knowledge—and the Naloxone kit they were provided—to revive someone overdosing on heroin or painkillers, and save their lives. Naloxone is administered through a nasal spray and is provided at no charge to trainees over the age of 18.
Social Work and OASAS Continuing Education Credits are available for the training, as the Nassau County Office of Mental Health and Chemical Dependency—and the Mental Health Association of Nassau County—is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers.
The next available public sessions are on:
• Wednesday, Oct. 19, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Glen Cove Fire Department
• Wednesday, Oct. 26, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Seaford High School
• Thursday, Nov. 3, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Old Bethpage Village Restoration
• Monday, Nov. 7, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Oceanside Middle School
• Monday, Nov. 14, from 7 to 9 p.m. at United Church of Rockville Centre
Visit www.nassaucountyny.gov/overdosetraining to register for an overdose prevention seminar. Dates and locations of additional seminars are listed on the website (www.nassaucountyny.gov/overdose).
