According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, 26 children under the age of 17 passed away from an opioid overdose last year.
This year, a peer’s bravery prevented two local teenagers from being included in this statistics. It’s motivational and an excellent teaching opportunity for youth worldwide.
Learning how to utilize NARCAN can make all the difference in the world.
Marie Rawls is a first-year student at ASU who hopes to work as a nurse in the future. She recently completed NARCAN training as part of her coursework.
“I was taking my medical assistant class, and we usually get certified. I got CPR certified, and then we got trained for NARCAN by Terros. Honestly, my first reaction was, ‘hopefully I never have to use this,'” she stated.
After learning that two high school males were overdosing on fentanyl at a party, she did ultimately use it.
Fast facts about Narcan:
– Each spray lasts 36 months
– Use in left nostril (larger nostril)
– Administer for AT LEAST 5-10 secs
– You usually need two doses& it is NOT harmful to give Narcan to someone who is not overdosing – best to be safe than sorry! @FOX10Phoenix pic.twitter.com/qwpAYpaCch
— Nicole Krasean (@NicoleK_Fox10) September 19, 2024
“I had only been there for like ten minutes. I noticed these kids were falling over. I just thought maybe they were drunk or something. I was like, ‘Hopefully somebody’s taking them home.’ Then, I hear screaming. Somebody’s like, ‘We need to leave, we need to leave.’ So, I was following the crowd and I saw one boy lying completely passed out on the floor unconscious, and the other boy was slumped over,” Rawls stated.
She acted after recalling the NARCAN in her vehicle. Dave Schad, who received training from Terros Health to use NARCAN on Rawls, says he was really proud to learn about her bravery.
“As an instructor, when you teach, and you have somebody provide what you teach, and they save two lives, it goes and it hits you like it’s an honor to actually know someone who actually used your training,” Schad, an emergency management specialist for Terros Health stated.
Arizona leads the nation in fentanyl seizures, per a 2023 study published in the International Journal of Drug Policy. According to the Arizona Department of Education, the state is a focal point for the problem, but it can also serve as a hub for reform in early childhood education.
“The best thing is if they go to a place like Terros, as Marie did, get training on how to use the NARCAN, get NARCAN to have available, so you can have other lives saved, which I think would be terrific,” Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne stated.
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Every young person should learn how to use NARCAN, according to Rawls.
“If you’re going into the medical field or not, everybody is taking stuff they’re not supposed to or something’s being slipped into your drink,” Rawls stated. “Honestly, it’s better to have the knowledge than not to, because I never thought that on a random Saturday that I’d be saving two peoples’ lives.”
After distribution, NARCAN continues for 36 months. The good news is that NARCAN cannot cause harm, so if you think someone is overdosing, it’s always worth trying.
