LICADD and Drug Free Long Island to Host Drug Overdose Prevention Training
On Wednesday, August 17, 2011, the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD) and Drug Free Long Island will host a free LIFE-OP (Long Islanders Fighting an Epidemic – Overdose Prevention) training for healthcare professionals and concerned members of the community including parents, educators, and students over the age of 18.
LICADD’s Executive Director, Jeffrey Reynolds, Ph.D. stated, “Fatal overdoses on Long Island have increased in recent years, especially as our region struggles with an intense teen heroin crisis that is directly linked to an upsurge in prescription drug abuse. This training will help prevent unnecessary deaths by educating our community on how to administer Narcan, the antidote for opioid overdose. Overdose deaths generally do not happen spontaneously; they take 1-3 hours. With timely medical care, most overdose deaths are preventable.”
Opioid medications (including Vicodin and Oxycodone) and Heroin are currently being abused in epidemic proportions. This one hour lecture with a 20 minute demonstration conducted by LICADD’s Medical Director, Dr. Thomas Jan, will provide the proper training to any person interested in saving lives from opioid overdose. Completion of this training program will qualify participants in the proper administration of Narcan. This qualification protects the responder under the NYS Good Samaritan Act.
Drug Free Long Island President, Janice Talento stated, “The overwhelming amount of young lives we have lost to drug overdose is disheartening, as they could have been prevented. LICADD and Drug Free Long Island share a common mission to advance through public awareness, education, and advocacy the transformation of Long Island into a DRUG FREE environment for the general safety, health, and welfare of children and all members of our community. By working together, LICADD and Drug Free Long Island hope to reduce the overdose-related deaths on Long Island and across New York State.”
The workshop will be held on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 from 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at Marjorie Post Park (Room A), 451 Unqua Road in Massapequa Park, NY. For further information on this event or to register for the free training, please contact Rosanne Slattery, LICADD Development Director at rcslattery@licadd.org or 516-747-2606 or Janice Talento, Drug Free Long Island President at janice@dfmli.org or 516-308-4068.
