Ill. Summit to Teach Bystanders How to Administer Narcan

The Daily Southtown, Tinley Park, Ill.

Mar. 27—This year's Hero Helps Community Summit will offer training on how to administer naloxone, an opioid antidote that can be given to overdose victims to prevent death.

The event—sponsored by Heroin Epidemic Relief Organization and Will County Heroin Education Leads to Preventative Solutions, the Village of Romeoville and the Southwest Coalition for Substance Abuse Issues—is from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 11 at Edward Hospital Athletic and Event Center, 55 Phelps Avenue, Romeoville.

Dr. Kathleen Burke, Will County's director of substance use initiatives, will train participants to recognize the signs and symptoms of an overdose and how to properly administer Narcan, a nasal spray form of naloxone, primarily used by first responders and family members, but is now available to the public.

Burke said it is "more important than ever" to have bystanders trained to administer Narcan as quickly as possible.

"A dose of Narcan/naloxone can be a life or death option for someone who has overdosed on opiates," she said in a news release.

The training is a 30 to 45 minute session, she said. Those who want to attend should visit the website www.herohelpsswc.org to sign up to ensure adequate supplies are available.

This year's summit also features keynote speaker Laura Porter, co-founder of ACE Interface, LLC, who will discuss the effect of childhood trauma on substance use.

Other speakers include Dr. Maria Bruni, associate secretary with the Department of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, who will share details of the Illinois Opioid Crisis Response Advisory Council and Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, who will talk about the efforts of the Illinois Opioid Task Force.

"We want to highlight all the work that is being done towards the prevention, harm reduction, and treatment of opioid use disorders," said event co-chairman Paul Lauridsen, in a news release.

"We know there is still work to be done and we will also hear from leaders at the state health department about these efforts," Lauridsen said.