Assemblymember Chris Eachus (D-New Windsor) announced that he hosted a free Narcan training event this week in conjunction with Senator Pete Harckham’s office and the Stony Point fire department. Narcan (Naloxone) saves lives by reversing opioid overdoses, which have dramatically increased across New York over the past several years.

“I was grateful to see so many members of our community join us on Tuesday,” Eachus said. “Learning to administer Narcan is one of the best ways an individual can fight the opioid epidemic. Our communities are healthier and stronger when we choose to learn how to help the most vulnerable people among us, including people living with substance use disorder, and I look forward to hosting more events to help save lives.”

During the training, participants learned to recognize the signs and symptoms of opioid overdose and how to administer Narcan nasal spray to someone in need. Between 2010 and 2021, the rate at which New Yorkers died from opioid overdoses multiplied by six, and in both 2020 and 2021, New York’s opioid overdose death rates exceeded national rates.^[1] Additionally, COVID-19 exacerbated the crisis by creating stressors like isolation and economic insecurity, causing many people to relapse into or develop substance use disorders.

“We hope that none of these participants ever need to use their Narcan training, but it can be the difference between life and death,” noted Eachus.

[1] https://www.osc.state.ny.us/reports/continuing-crisis-drug-overdose-deaths-new-york#:~:text=The%20share%20of%20drug%20overdose,compared%20to%205%20in%202010