newbb电子平台 and state of Ohio partner in fight against opioid overdoses

在整个美国， accidental fentanyl ingestion is taking the lives 成千上万的年轻人. newbb电子平台 is leading an initiative with the state of Ohio to help prevent such deaths and make naloxone – a potentially life-saving antidote to fentanyl overdose – accessible across its 雅典 campus.

The University is installing emergency naloxone access cabinets provided by Governor Mike DeWine's Recovery Ohio, 俄亥俄州高等教育局, 以及俄亥俄州卫生部.

“Oftentimes people ingest fentanyl without knowing they are ingesting fentanyl,丽贝卡·米勒说, senior director of community relations in the 卫生科学与职业学院. “这通常是导致过量服用的原因她说。, alluding to the unknowing ingestion of an opioid substance at 更高的水平 比一个人能忍受的还要多. “Fentanyl has been found in pretty much every drug that there is at this point, 像阿得拉, 可卡因, 有时甚至是大麻.”

Dean of Students Kathy Fahl said naloxone cabinets have been installed in five high-traffic places on the 雅典 campus: 奥尔登图书馆, 贝克中心, 平康乐中心, 西青区(博伊德堂), 纳尔逊食堂

The cabinets are stocked with 4-milligram intranasal spray doses of naloxone, 用纳洛酮这个牌子, include instructions for administering it to someone experiencing an opioid overdose. “它使用起来非常简单. 如果某人没有过量服用, 但他们服用了纳洛酮, 这不会伤害他们,法尔说.

Fahl said the University has also joined forces with the Ohio Opioid Education Alliance, which will allow for additional student and staff training and the use of their 教育宣传资料.

Signs of an opioid overdose include unconsciousness, 呼吸缓慢或浅, 呕吐, 缺乏言语能力, 微弱的心跳, 苍白的皮肤, small pupils and pale or purple lips and fingernails. 国家药物滥用研究所的网站 states the first most important step for anyone administering Narcan is to call 911, instructs responders to keep watch over the person given naloxone until medical help arrives. 俄亥俄州的 好撒玛利亚人法 provides legal immunity for someone calling 911 for assistance, regardless of whether the caller has also used substances. Steps for responding to an opioid overdose can be found in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s (SAMHSA) Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit.

Miller wants to educate the community about opioid overdoses that don’t converge with common assumptions about drug use, 比如滥用药物或参加派对. “We need to recognize that [sometimes] students don’t have a prescription for study enhancement drugs, 他们的来源 药店以外的地方她说。.

布兰登安, associate director of prevention and education in the office of Student Affairs, explained that the accessibility of the cabinets is meant to provide rescue assistance for more than on-the-spot overdoses. “[Students are] probably taking naloxone back to where their housing is, rather than thinking of this as an immediate crisis,布兰登说。. “This is a harm reduction strategy that's been used for many, many years.”

Brandon said keeping the on-campus naloxone cabinets stocked is critical, 追踪它们使用的数据也是如此. “What we're finding out is people are utilizing them more than for just an immediate crisis or emergencies她说。, 并随身携带纳洛酮 as recommended by the Ohio Department of Health’s Project DAWN.

2021年，卫生政策研究组织 凯萨 listed the state of Ohio as the fourth-highest state in the number of opioid-related deaths, 在加利福尼亚州, 佛罗里达, 和纽约, 在每100人中与阿片类药物相关的死亡人数中排名第六,000人. 减少获得纳洛酮的障碍 is one of the first goals of this collective, ongoing project, Miller said. “I really see that as the next educational opportunity, helping people understand the need for everyone to have access to naloxone, even to keep it on hand in case of an emergency.”

Fahl said the naloxone distribution initiative is a cross-campus effort, noting that in addition to campus sites hosting the cabinets and staff and student training, the 传统骨科医学院’s 传统社区诊所 在帮你补充橱柜吗. Fahl added that the cabinets include a QR code that members of the community can use to alert the clinic that a restock is needed.

While the naloxone cabinets represent a first-line effort to stem the tide of opioid-related deaths in the state, 布兰登解释说, “The boxes are just a first step towards reducing harm.”

She said the University will continue in its joint efforts to educate the public and dispel myths around drug misuse disorders.

Miller said the initiative to increase access to naloxone on the 雅典 campus started in fall 2022, given increases in the number of overdoses at college campuses around the nation. “[It’s been a] great collaboration with the 雅典市县卫生局 to train OHIO staff她说。, noting that OHIO 辅导及心理服务 Assistant Director for Outreach and Consultation 斯蒂芬妮·麦库姆斯-亨特博士.D.， lpcc-s, licdc, CRC orchestrated the development and direction of the naloxone training.

“This is how collaborative harm reduction should be done,布兰登补充道, noting the important partnerships not only at the state level and within the University but throughout the 雅典 community, 包括雅典警察局. “There’s a great energy” to this collaboration, she said.

除了校内分配点, naloxone is available at many pharmacies without a prescription, 包括克罗格, 施赖弗, 和简历. For additional information about naloxone, contact the 雅典市县卫生局 电话:(740)447-5900或访问 NaloxoneOhio website to order a naloxone kit through the mail.