EASTON, Md. - Talbot county is taking a big step forward to saving lives.
The Talbot County Chamber of Commerce hosted its first Narcan educational event for businesses and homeowners to learn how to administer Narcan. Operation Save A Life, a campaign with Talbot Goes Purple who orchestrated this event says these training sessions could happen quarterly. They say it's important that not only people carry Narcan but know how to use it.
The attendees learned about the different opioids on the streets like heroin, oxycodone, and fentanyl and watched what they should do if they are met with someone who is over dosing.
Beth Williams, a prevention specialist and an educator and trainer for the University of Maryland Extension led the educational event.
Williams says an overdose can happen anywhere. "Even in our beautiful small towns we do have lots of folks who do use opioids and we want to give them a second chance of their life. Hopefully this can be a turning point in their life if they've overdosed," says Williams.
Attendees were also given a free kit. It's meant to be mounted onto the wall but inside are two packs of Narcan, gloves, and directions on how to use it.
One participant says any business should have it, not just clinics.
"I think if you're a pizza shop, if you're a hotel, if you're an entertainment venue it's really useful to have Narcan on site. It may be for someone who's just used once and that one time can be deadly, " says Raychel Harvey-Jones with Brightview Health.
The Talbot County Sheriff, Joe Gamble urges anyone to call 911 if an overdose is nearby. He says, "It's one of the most important things we can educate our kids about and our young people about. If you're at a party and somebody's too drunk or they overdose on drugs, call 911. If you call 911 you can't be held legally responsible for any paraphernalia or small amounts of drugs at the scene."
Putting safety first in Talbot County businesses.
