Stone Ridge, NY – Ulster County Legislator Richard Parete is sponsoring a free community Narcan Training in cooperation with Dr. Raymond Harvey from the Institute for Family Health and Marie Shultis, Director of Awareness Inc., on Tuesday, September 13 at 6:30 PM at the Stone Ridge Firehouse, 525 Cottekill Road, Stone Ridge (corner of NYS Route 209 and Cottekill Rd.)

“This free training is open to everyone from first responders to concerned citizens who may know someone involved in opioid use or someone who  just wants to be prepared,” offered Parete. “We want to give responsible people the tools to save the life of a friend or loved one who ends up in a dangerous and life threatening situation.”

A free Narcan kit will be dispensed to each participant who attends the training. Narcan (naloxone) is a prescription medicine that reverses an opioid overdose. It cannot be used to get high and is not addictive.  It is simple to administer and has been credited with saving many lives when administered during the first critical minutes.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Health Organization issued a report supporting that naloxone be available to first responders (e.g., police and firemen) and to people dependent on opioids, their peers and family members who are likely to be present when an overdose occurs. (http://www.unodc.org/docs/treatment/overdose.pdf).

Anyone interested in attending this free training is asked to RSVP via email (preferably) ucawarenessprogram[at]gmail[dot]com, or by phoning Awareness, Inc. at 845-417-1484.

“We hope and pray no one ever needs to use it,” said Parete “but having a trained person ready with a Narcan kit at the scene of a heroin or opioid drug overdose may give that victim a second chance at life.”