WESTFIELD–People who attended the Westfield Food Fest not only were able to take in entertainment and good food, but also received training on the life-saving drug Narcan.
Westfield’s Drug Task Force, along with Tapestry Health and the Westfield Fire Department, came together to give visitors information about Narcan at the the Community Police Center on Elm Street Friday. While there, participants discussed Narcan’s uses and benefits in combating heroin and opiate overdoses, how to properly administer the medication and when to give it, where to get it and answered questions from the crowd.
“I think we were very pleased with the amount of people stopping by and the Westfield Fire Department did a great job informing the public,” Kathy Sitler, director of the Drug Task Force, said.
Tapestry Health’s Jill Shanahan talks with people about Narcan.
Jill Shanahan, Tapestry Health overdose education trainer and coordinator, addressed the crowd of about 30 people for the majority of the event, talking about many different aspects of Narcan, including dispelling rumors about the drug, its administration and its life-saving abilities for someone who has overdosed on opiates.
“There is no risk for abuse from this,” Shanahan said. “And no one wants to overdose, so somebody overdosing can’t put this together and dose themselves.”
Shanahan also said that those who attempt to give someone Narcan when they are witnessing a possible overdose are not held accountable if the person dies. This is due to the Good Samaritan Law in Massachusetts.
Additionally, Shanahan appeared to surprise several spectators by informing them that you can acquire the medication from your local pharmacy and most insurances cover the cost. For MassHealth/Medicaid subscribers in particular, the medication is free, she said.
When looking to administer the drug, Shanahan described the various symptoms of an overdose and the proper steps in attempting resuscitation before and after administration of the medication.
Narcan Demonstration Westfield Food Fest 2016
The first step that she described was to attempt to wake a person up who may be unconscious from an overdose. To do so, a person can apply their knuckles to the upper lip or to the sternum of the person, then rub vigorously. This should illicit a pain response and startle the person awake.
If this does not wake the victim up, then a person must check for adequate breathing and see if their fingers or lips are blue. If the breathing is not adequate, then Shanahan stressed that 911 should be called immediately. Additionally, this is when the person should receive Narcan in order to attempt to reverse the overdose.
In order to show how to properly administer Narcan, Westfield firefighter-paramedic Chris Brown came with a mannequin to demonstrate. He showed the proper assembling of the medication and its mode of delivery and then how to properly attach the device that administers the medication through the nasal passage of an unconscious victim.
Paramedic Chris Brown shows Narcan.
The device, called a nasal atomizer, attaches to the syringe provided, and delivers the medication in a mist form, allowing it to be absorbed through the mucosal lining of the nose.
“It’s best to squirt one time in each nostril,” Brown said.
He added that with the strength of opiates, including heroin and the pain medication fentanyl, paramedics have had to administer multiple doses of Narcan in order to reverse overdoses.
Both Shanahan and Brown stressed that while the drug is relatively safe, there are certain risks and concerns to be aware of when administering it.
One of the risks include a person going into withdrawals after waking up, Brown said. Symptoms of this can include nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat and abdominal cramping.
Paramedic Chris Brown shows how to properly administer Narcan.
Additionally, Shanahan said that even though Narcan can reverse an overdose, it does so temporarily. She warned that seeking medical attention after Narcan works is important because people can “re-overdose” once the medication wears off. This could be anywhere between 15 minutes to over an hour.
For more information on Narcan, you can go to tapestryhealth.org or visit your local pharmacy and talk with a pharmacist.
