Suffolk County officials have scheduled opioid overdose prevention classes across the county over the next month. The classes will teach participants to recognize an opioid overdose, administer intranasal naloxone, better known as Narcan, and take additional time-dependent steps while waiting for first responders.
The training meets New York State Department of Health requirements. Participants will receive a certificate of completion and an emergency resuscitation kit that includes the intranasal Narcan.
Training will take place in all 10 towns in Suffolk County, including at the East Hampton Library on Oct. 7 at 5:30 p.m. The class in Southampton Town will be held at the Westhampton Free Library on Sept. 21 at 1 p.m. Other classes are listed below.
“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 Steve 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 Suffolk County’s Opioid Overdose Prevention Program began in 2013, the Health Department has trained 13,068 non-traditional responders. In addition, local hospitals, which offer opioid overdose prevention training and kits under Suffolk County’s license with New York State, have dispensed 1,980 kits since 2016, bringing the total to15,048 people trained.
Registration is required and space is limited. To register for the class, contact the Suffolk County Department of Health Services’ Division of Emergency Medical Services at 631-852-5080.
Riverhead Library hosted a class on Sept. 3 and the Shelter Island Library hosted a class on Saturday.
• Babylon Town, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m., Lindenhurst Memorial Library
• Huntington Town, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m., Commack Public Library
• Smithtown Town, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m., The Smithtown Library
• Islip Town, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m., East Islip Public Library
• Brookhaven Town, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m., Middle Country Public Library, Centereach
• Southold Town, Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m., Floyd Memorial Library, Greenport
For more information visit www.suffolkcountyny.gov/