WBIW.com News - state

Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana

Morgan County School Nurses Learn How To Administer Narcan For Overdoses

Last updated on Thursday, December 17, 2015

(MOORESVILLE) - Police officers across the state have been armed with Narcan for a while, and now nurses and other staff members in a local school district are also prepared to save someone from an overdose.

The Morgan County Drug Task Force was at Neil Armstrong Elementary School Tuesday training school nurses on how to administer Narcan.

The drug can stop an opioid overdose, whether from heroin or a prescription painkiller, like Vicodin.

Thanks to a grant, the drug task force has been able to train and supply more than 350 first responders and police on Narcan. Now, more than 100 school staff members have been trained.

But it's not just to prevent overdose deaths at schools.

"After school events, you don't know if you have a huge community event, there may be a parent or grandparent or somebody there overdosed," explained Kristi Dunigan with the Morgan County Drug Task Force. "We want to make sure they are equipped and they are there."

Morgan County is in the top 10 in the state for abuse of prescription drugs, with 30 overdose deaths last year. But in the year since the county began using Narcan, first responders have saved 33 people from overdosing, including three just last week.

1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com

© Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Click here to go back to previous page