To help combat the opioid crisis, Northampton County will host several free Narcan training sessions starting next month.
The Northampton County Drug & Alcohol Division will be offering several Narcan training sessions, at two locations, for county employees and the public.
According to a release several sessions will be located at the Northampton County DHS Building, 2801 Emrick Blvd., Bethlehem from 10-11 a.m., and from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
The session dates are:
- April 18, RSVP by April 4
- May 22, RSVP by May 17
- June 27, RSVP by June 22
- July 18. RSVP by July 13
Additional training will be held in the Government Center Training Room at the Northampton County Courthouse, 669 Washington St., Easton from 1:30-2:30 p.m.
These session dates are:
- April 25, RSVPT by April 21
- May 9, RSVP by May 8
- June 1, RSVP by May 30
Attendees must RSVP prior to their scheduled training date. Free Narcan kits will be available, courtesy of the Bethlehem Health Bureau.
The training, called H.O.P.E, or Heroin & Opioid Prevention Education + Naloxone Training, is part of the county’s Fake is Real campaign.
This initiative is aimed at the 13-35 age demographic, and seeks to raise awareness about the presence of the synthetic opioid fentanyl in pills and other drugs.
Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure recently spoke with WDIY’s Karen El-Chaar about the dangers of fentanyl, the Fake is Real campaign, and the importance of administering Narcan – which is a brand of Naloxone.
“The quicker you get to somebody with the Narcan, the better their outcomes are going to be,” McClure explained.
“We’re not claiming that Narcan is going to save everybody but of all those deaths you talked about, Narcan could have saved a significant number of those people who have passed away. And in Northampton County we talk about…we don’t have anybody to lose.”
According to Fake is Real, four out of 10 pills bought on the street contain lethal doses of fentanyl, and 78% of overdoses in Pennsylvania involved fentanyl, according to the state Department of Health.
More information about the training is available here. People interested in attending the training are asked to contact Gretchen Hill at ghill@norcopa.gov.
(Original air-date: 3/30/23)
