By Jennie Tschappat

The Copper River Basin is no stranger to the heartache and loss of Alaska’s opioid epidemic, but Leslie Corless at Cross Road Medical Center is committed to helping families and friends fight back with a simple tool that can reverse the effects of an overdose: the Narcan® Kit. 

Ms. Corless works in Behavioral Health and Wellness, and she arranged training for folks working in local healthcare and business settings to learn how to administer naloxone in an overdose situation. Narcan® is a brand name for naloxone, a nasal spray medication that can reverse an overdose caused by an opioid drug. When administered during an overdose, naloxone blocks the effects of opioids on the brain. It restores breathing within two to eight minutes. Naloxone has been used safely by emergency medical professionals for more than 40 years. It has only one function: to reverse the effects of opioids on the brain and respiratory system to prevent death.

Sonja Engle, a Public Health Nurse with the State of Alaska, led the training. She talked about Project HOPE and gave the attendees a brief history of the legislation that allows naloxone kits to be distributed in Alaska. Project HOPE (Harm reduction, Opioid Prevention, and Education) began in February 2017 as an initiative led by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services to provide overdose education and naloxone distribution across the rural state. The project partners with community-based organizations to train the general public and equip them (as well as professionals) with opioid overdose rescue kits. Training is delivered by staff or volunteers at the partner organizations. In addition to naloxone kits, Project HOPE distributes drug disposal bags to prevent non-medical prescription opioid use.

Then she explained in detail how to administer naloxone to a person suspected of overdose. Naloxone won’t affect someone who does not have opioids in their system, and few risks are associated with administering it to someone who does. Except for those who are allergic, Naloxone does not cause any adverse effects. It is not possible to give too much naloxone. However, suppose a person is dependent on opioids; in that case, higher doses of naloxone will make them feel more uncomfortable because of withdrawal symptoms. If the patient feels bad, the dosage is temporary, and they will feel better in about half an hour. 

The kits are safe to keep in homes. They should be kept in a warm, dry place like a kitchen or bathroom cabinet, but never in a car or any place where temperatures fluctuate. It is a common misconception that the availability of naloxone gives opioid users a false sense of security and encourages illicit drug use. Studies have shown that overdose response programs like Project HOPE increase awareness and save lives. 

Opioids are a class of drugs most often used legally to manage pain. These include oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, the illegal drug heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. While many of these medications are helpful when managing pain after surgery and injury, taking too much of an opioid can cause death. 

Sheila Hurst attended the training because she wants to be able to help. She’s active in the healthcare community and saddened by the number of people who have recently died from an overdose. Ms. Hurst wants to educate folks about the availability of this simple kit that can save lives. Page Pete made time to attend the training because she wanted to learn more about overdose in general and how to use the kit in particular. She said she’s concerned about the availability of drugs in Copper Center. Ms. Pete said she cares about her friends and neighbors and doesn’t want people to get sick or lose their life from an overdose, especially if she can tell folks about the kits and how they can get one of their own. 

The kits are available for free to anyone. Folks can get them from Cross Road Medical Center in Glennallen; call 907-822-3203 and ask for Leslie. You can also talk to her if you are interested in  providing group training to your business’ staff or organization’s members.  They are also available at the Valdez Public Health Clinic (907-835-4612) and from Copper River Native Association (907-822-5241). Be sure to call first to confirm availability. 

To learn more, visit the Office of Substance Misuse and Addiction Prevention at http://dhss.alaska.gov/osmap.