You Can with Narcan
Authors: Kristen O'Neill, Tyler Elkins, Elijah Gentry, and Abigail Risher
Faculty Supervisor: Nicole Masano, DNP, RN, CNM, CME
Community Partner: Starting Point Halfway House
Abstract:
We had a Naloxone (Narcan) training program with the Starting Point Halfway House. Starting Point is a non-profit organization for men in recovery to go after rehabilitation. The men get a mixture of structure and freedom while also working and visiting therapy sessions during their stay. Narcan is used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses. We felt this project would have the potential to save lives at the halfway house in case of an overdose. The project involved performing a community assessment with multiple diagnoses. We discovered a risk for drug relapse among the men attending Starting Point and decided to come up with a plan more focused on treating that drug overdose with life saving medications instead of preventing the relapse itself. To implement this, we had a meeting with Starting Point staff and members of the community to educate them on the signs of opioid overdose, the function of Naloxone, and how to use it. To finally evaluate their knowledge, we had them demonstrate the skills they learned.
