Narcan became the first naloxone product to get federal approval for over-the-counter status. But while the product may be available, it is underutilized.
(Morgan Watkins/Side Effects Public Media)
A free online program aims to teach Indiana residents how to use Naloxone –– also known by its brand name Narcan –– a life saving medication to reverse opioid overdoses.
Citizen Opioid Responderstraining takes roughly 30 minutes to complete. It covers topics like Naloxone administration, scene safety and good samaritan laws.
Fentanyl overdose has been a leading cause of death for people aged 18-45 in recent years. Data from theCenters for Disease Control and Preventionshow that most overdose deaths among adolescents between 10 and 19 years oldhappen at home, which highlights the need for families to stock up on the opioid reversal medicaion, and be educated on how to use it effectively.
Recent data shows Indiana had a nearly a 20% decrease in opioid related deaths, according to the CDC. Experts believe the decrease is due to an increase in harm reduction materials and education, but that still equates to thousands of deaths annually.
Cris Henderson, a research associate for Prevention Insights at the IU School of Public Health in Bloomington, said misinformation and stigma still clouds those efforts. But they hope theirCitizen Opioid Respondersprogram will help turn things around.
“There's a lot of misinformation,” Henderson said, “but this program helps to normalize getting trained just like it's normal to get trained in CPR, just like it's normal to get the flu shot, just like it's normal to have a firework extinguisher in your house. It's normal to get trained in something that can help save lives.”
Henderson said after completing the 30-minute training, participants receive a certificate of completion and information about places in their community that provide free naloxone.
“We want to make sure that as many people in the community have Naloxone as possible, but if they're not able to use it, they won't be confident to use it in the event that somebody might might need it,” saidAndrea Bochenek, the epidemiology manager at the Marion County Public Health Department.
The Citizen Opioid Responders training was initially tested for a research study in 2020 across five Indiana counties. Henderson said it’s made strides in educating people about overdose prevention.
“We found that people not only had increases in knowledge, but they also felt greater senses of efficacy, meaning that they felt more ready, willing and able to intervene and administer Naloxone,” he said.
Around 340 people have completed the training program across Dearborn, Clark, Floyd and Monroe counties, and it is available on five IU campuses — Bloomington, Columbus, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis and Southeast.
Henderson hopes to see an uptick in training completion rates over the next few months.
