Training gives school personnel the skills to administer Narcan
WOBURN – Today Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan sponsored a free training for school nurses, athletic directors and coaches on how to use the drug Nasal Naloxone, also known as Narcan, for the treatment of opioid overdoses. The training is part of the office’s ongoing commitment to address the opioid epidemic in Middlesex County.
“This training will equip school personnel with the skills to render life-saving aid to people who need it, especially the young people in their communities that they interact with on a daily basis,” said District Attorney Ryan.
Today’s training is the third hosted by District Attorney Ryan as part of the: “Another Chance: Reversing the Effects of Opiate Overdoses” train-the-trainer initiative. Previous trainings have been offered to first responders including police, fire and EMS officials. The trainings are open to individuals in all Middlesex County communities.
The training convened by District Attorney Ryan on Tuesday, November 3, included an in-depth medical educational tutorial led by Dr. Daniel Muse, Medical Director of the Municipal Police Training Committee and a Physician at Signature Health followed by a hands-on session to give attendees practical experience with administering Narcan. The training was attended by school officials from Arlington, Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School, Billerica, Lexington, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, Medford, Shawsheen Regional Technical High School, Stoneham and Woburn.
Over the last year, the District Attorney Ryan’s office has provided 540 doses of Narcan to police and fire departments in Middlesex County at no cost to municipalities using revenue collected from drug forfeitures to purchase the Narcan. As of Monday, November 2, the State Troopers assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office have responded to 164 fatal overdoses.
Middlesex County is the most populous county in Massachusetts and one of the most populous counties in the country with 54 cities and towns and 26 colleges in urban, suburban, and rural areas, comprising over one quarter of the population of Massachusetts. The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office has offices throughout the county, including in Ayer, Cambridge, Concord, Framingham, Lowell, Malden, Marlborough, Newton, Somerville, Waltham and Woburn.