Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today announced that the County has scheduled an Opioid Overdose Prevention Class in each town during the month of September. The training, which meets New York State Department of Health requirements, will enable participants to recognize an opioid overdose, administer intranasal naloxone, better known as Narcan™, and take additional time-dependent steps while Emergency Medical Service teams are in transit. Participants will receive a certificate of completion and an emergency resuscitation kit that includes the intranasal Narcan™
“My administration is committed to providing more resources, more education and more training to fight back against the scourge of the opioid epidemic,” said Suffolk County Executive Bellone. “These training classes, which provide everyday citizens with the power to save lives, have proven to be a force multiplier, augmenting our robust public safety system, and they are an integral part of our multifaceted approach to dealing with the opioid epidemic.”
Since the inception of Suffolk County’s Opioid Overdose Prevention Program in 2013, Suffolk County Department of Health has trained 13,068 non-traditional responders, each of whom received a Narcan™ kit. In addition, local hospitals, which offer opioid overdose prevention training and Narcan™ kits under Suffolk County’s license with New York State, have dispensed 1,980 kits since they began in 2016, bringing the total to15,048.
Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Tomarken said, “The CDC recently reported that only one naloxone prescription is dispensed for every 70 high-dose opioid prescriptions, which leaves vulnerable many individuals to overdose. We encourage health-care practitioners who prescribe opioids to their patients to also prescribe naloxone. At the same time, we encourage residents to come to one of our opioid-overdose-prevention classes to get trained so they will know what to do and feel comfortable dispensing naloxone should they have the opportunity to use it.”
The Suffolk County Opioid Prevention Program classes will take places as follows below. Registration is required and space is limited. To register contact the Suffolk County Department of Health Services’ Division on Emergency Medical Services at 631-852-5080.
Babylon Township
Wednesday September 25th, 2019 – 7 p.m.
Lindenhurst Memorial Library, 1 Lee Avenue, Lindenhurst, NY 11757
Huntington Township
Tuesday September 24th, 2019 – 7:30 p.m.
Commack Public Library, 18 Hauppauge Road, Commack, NY 11725
Smithtown Township
Monday September 9th, 2019 – 7 p.m.
The Smithtown Library, Smithtown Building, Room A, 1 North Country Road, Smithtown, NY 11787
Islip Township
Monday September 23rd, 2019 – 7 p.m.
East Islip Public Library, 381 East Main Street, East Islip, NY 11730
Brookhaven Township
Friday September 13th, 2019 – 7 p.m.
Middle Country Public Library, Centereach Building, 101 Eastwood Boulevard, Centereach, NY 11720
Riverhead Township
Tuesday September 3rd, 2019 – 7 p.m.
Riverhead Free Library, 330 Court Street, Riverhead, NY 11901
Southold Township
Thursday September 12th, 2019 – 6:30 p.m.
Floyd Memorial Library, 539 1st Street, Greenport, NY 11944
Shelter Island Township
Saturday September 7th, 2019 – 11 a.m.
Shelter Island Public Library, 37 N Ferry Road, Shelter Island, NY 11964
Southampton Township
Saturday September 21st, 2019 – 1 p.m.
Westhampton Free Library, 7 Library Avenue, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978
East Hampton Township
Saturday September 7th, 2019 – 3 p.m.
East Hampton Library, 159 Main Street, East Hampton, NY 11937
Suffolk County has approached the opioid epidemic on multiple levels, working with lawmakers, medical providers, medical prescribers, parents, school districts, law enforcement, local fire and emergency medical service agencies, and community partners.
Suffolk County hosts on its website a Substance Abuse Resource Center, featuring powerful videos, a directory of substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery services, and a listing of available opioid overdose treatment classes, some of which include the “Ugly Truth,” a program for parents, conducted by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner, Police Department, and Department of Health’s Division of Community Mental Hygiene.
For more information visit www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/HealthServices.
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