Overdose reversal course credited with saving 2 lives
Two community members trained to administer the overdose-reversal drug naloxone have saved two people from overdosing, Delaware health officials said Wednesday.
Under state law, citizens can be trained to administer and carry the drug under guidance of the state and Brandywine Counseling, a clinic in Wilmington. About 300 people have completed training on naloxone, in addition to officers in the New Castle County, Middletown and Ocean View police departments.
In late August, state officials received a donation of 2,000 EVIZIO naloxone auto-injectors from Kaléo, a Richmond, Virginia, pharmaceutical company, to help bolster local training sessions. The units have been distributed to high school nurses, paramedics, police departments and addiction treatment centers.
People who visit the state and Brandywine Counseling's Syringe Exchange Program in Wilmington to exchange used needles for clean ones are being equipped with the auto-injector naloxone units and are trained by Brandywine staff.
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State officials said that the two community members who revived people received their kits through the program. Domenica Personti, Brandywine Counseling's director of adolescent services and prevention, said that on Aug. 30, a needle exchange client saved a friend's life who had overdosed. On Monday, another client revived her girlfriend after she overdosed, she said.
"By expanding naloxone access, we have equipped individuals with a life-saving tool in response to the terrible outcome often associated with opiate use," Personti said in a statement. "Because of this, two individuals were able to go home to their loved ones."
Last year, 185 people in Delaware died in suspected overdoses, health officials said. During that time, paramedics, the first responders who most frequently use the drug, administered naloxone 1,244 times, reviving 668 people, according to the Division of Public Health.
Upcoming community training sessions are:
• Sept. 23, 6 p.m., Stubbs Elementary School, 110 N. Pine St., Wilmington
• Oct. 22, 6 p.m., New Castle County Police Department Headquarters, 3601 N. DuPont Hwy., New Castle
• Nov. 12, 6 p.m., Ocean View Police Department, 201 Central Ave., Ocean View
Jen Rini can be reached at (302) 324-2386 or jrini@delawareonline.com.
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