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The training will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Aug. 31 at The Loretto Hospital. Behavioral health clinicians from the hospital and Maryville Academy will show participants how to administer Narcan, which can reverse the effects of an overdose.
A free information session will be held on Zoom at 6:30 p.m. April 27. A representative from the Chicago Department of Public Health will explain how Narcan can be used to reverse an overdose.
Later this month, patrons at 14 branches across the city will be able to get a free Narcan kit. The Austin locations are at 5615 W. Race Ave., 5724 W. North Ave. and 4856 W. Chicago Ave.
State Rep. La Shawn Ford reminds us that every family has someone who has struggled with addiction and substance use disorder. “We are in this together.” Meeting someone where they are at means bridging the gap between your own expectations and where the other person is coming from.
A new state law protects a person who provides emergency medical assistance to someone who’s experiencing an overdose. A Good Samaritan in these cases cannot be arrested, charged or prosecuted for drug violations. State Rep. La Shawn Ford lauds the new law, noting more Good Samaritans are needed to give naloxone, the medication used to reverse an overdose.
Faith leaders on the West Side are being encouraged to get trained on how to stop someone from having an overdose. At the monthly meeting of the 15th Police District’s faith-based leaders, attendees also were urged to complete training offered by the Chicago chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Starting at noon Monday at 4000 W. Jackson, state Rep. La Shawn Ford and representatives from several community groups – including Prevention Partnership, Thresholds, The Night Ministry, Fathers Who Care, Rush Hospital, Heartland Alliance and Healthcare Alternative Services – will provide overdose reversal training; distribute Narcan/naloxone and PPE; make referrals to medication-assisted recovery for addiction treatment; and help with housing.
State Rep. La Shawn Ford announced the news Aug. 31, which is International Overdose Awareness Day. The lead agency for the award will be Prevention Partnership Inc., a 35- year-old agency located in the Austin neighborhood.
Free packets of naxolone were distributed at an event held Monday at The Loretto Hospital to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The drug has saved many people from dying of a drug overdose.
Residents can help fight the epidemic by carrying naloxone, the opioid blocker that can stop an overdose. African Americans are dying at a higher rate than whites, experts said at the meeting, held late last month in Austin.