12 GROUNDCOVER NEWS PSA Narcan saves lives! JANE REILLY Groundcover vendor No. 611 Fentanyl, an illegal opioid drug, looks like aspirin, sidewalk chalk, and candy like Skittles or M&Ms. Opioids can also be prescription drugs such as Oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodin, methadone and other legal drugs that reduce pain and promote feelings of pleasure and relaxation. High school, college, professional and weekend athletes often take prescription painkillers as well as people with muscle, back and joint pain. These legal opioids also are addictive and fatal. Being a first responder does NOT mean condoning drug use. A first responder saves lives and prevents suicide, murder and accidental death. Dr. Gina Dahlem, a Clinical Associate Professor of Nursing at the University of Michigan and a family nurse practitioner, ran a Naloxone Training session on Saturday, Oct. 7 at Mercy House in Ann Arbor. Dahlem serves as Nurse Practitioner at Packard Health/Shelter Association of Washtenaw County. Dahlem teaches opioid overdose prevention regionally and nationally. Narcan, the brand name for Naloxone, reverses opioid overdoses. Narcan works on dogs, too. If you suspect an overdose or find someone unconscious: 1. Arouse: Shout their name, shake shoulders vigorously and perform a sternal rub; 2. Check for signs of overdose: Slowed or no breathing, blue lips and/ or fingernails, unresponsive to pain (the sternal rub is uncomfortable); 3. Call 9-1-1; 4. Give Narcan by placing the nozzle in a nostril and pushing the plunger; 5. Provide oxygen by giving rescue breaths, two breaths initially then one breath every five or six seconds; give CardioPulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) or follow dispatch instructions from 9-1-1 on speaker phone; 6. Narcan again if they are still unresponsive after two to three minutes. Repeat Narcan in two to three minutes if the person does not resume breathing. If you must leave the person unattended or if the person vomits, place the person in a recovery position, lying on his or her side. Stay with the person, if it is safe to do so, until help arrives. Dahlem explained that opioids adhere to nerve receptors in your brain. Opioids inhibit and then stop you from breathing. Narcan replaces the opioid on the brain receptor and prevents more opioids from NOVEMBER 3, 2023 Photo sourced from News Nation Now. attaching. "The effect of the opioid is that it slows down the drive to breathe," Dahlem said. "Every second counts." Dahlem said fentanyl is a synthetic man-made opioid that can be manufactured in any laboratory. Fentanyl is so strong the effect can last up to three hours. The effect of Narcan only lasts 30-120 minutes. It is important to call 9-1-1. Narcan only works on opioids. "If it's used on an unconscious individual with no opioids in their system, then it's like squirting water up their nose," she said. Dahlem said the police are trained responders and they look at the event "not as a criminal investigation but as a medical emergency." The Michigan Good Samaritan Law was changed in 2014 to include Narcan. "You are protected under the law for helping," Dahlem said. "No matter what happens, you did the right thing because you responded." Dahlem passed out free Narcan kits which included naloxone nasal spray, gloves, a face shield and an instruction pamphlet. Narcan kits are $45 over the counter at drug stores — but Groundcover News suggests accessing Narcan for free at the Ann Arbor District Library Downtown branch. Free kits and free web-based and in-person training are available at www.overdoseACTION.org. Free web-based CPR training is at: www.learncpronline.net The website for opioid overdose and naloxone training and resources was developed collaboratively by the University of Michigan School of Nursing, Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office and Home of New Vision.
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