Nassau County, NY - March 9th, 2016 - Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano today announced that a “Schools in the Know” Overdose Prevention Workshop for school nurses and school district administrators will take place on Friday, March 11th.
The program will feature speakers sharing their personal experience with addiction, professionals speaking about early prevention techniques and current drug use trends among school-aged individuals, and an opiate overdose reversal training and distribution of Narcan kits.
County Executive Mangano stated, “The rise in substance use among our youth and the increasing number of unintentional overdoses, here and nationwide, demonstrates the need for communities to work together to solve substance abuse problems. The education and awareness of the epidemic needs to start in grade school and I thank all school nurses and administrators for their participation in this workshop.”
The workshop, presented by the Education & Prevention Subcommittee of the Nassau County Heroin Prevention Task Force (HPTF) will be held Friday, March 11th, from 8:30am-12:30pm (registration at 8am), at Molloy College, located at 7180 Republic Airport in Farmingdale.
The $10 per person fee includes a continental breakfast and continuing education credits for CASACs and social workers, provided by the Nassau County Department of Human Services. Online registration has closed, but walk-ins are welcome. A letter on school district stationary is needed to pick up shared kits for school buildings.
The State Education Department ruled in August 2015 that school nurses, who are “medically trained,” can participate and administer Narcan without liability. School districts also have the ability to maintain shared Narcan kits in each school building. Narcan has been used by paramedics and emergency room doctors’ for decades, to save lives. Yet a 2006 State law allows citizens to administer Narcan in an attempt to save a life, without fear of liability.
Nassau County has already provided Narcan training for nearly 6,000 people since 2012. At least two dozen trainees have used that knowledge - and the Narcan kit they were given - to revive someone overdosing on heroin or painkillers, and save their lives. Narcan is administered through a nasal spray, and is provided at no charge to trainees over the age of 18. More than 181 Nassau residents died from heroin and prescription painkillers in 2015.
For more information on the workshop, or to receive continuing education credits for CASACs or social workers at the end of the workshop, please contact Eden Laikin at (516) 571-6105 or elaikin@nassaucountyny.gov.