Four Corners org shares how to stop an overdose with Narcan

FARMINGTON, N.M. – In the event of an opioid overdose, there is a medication that can be a lifesaver, all it takes is someone to know how to use it. An organization in the Four Corners is working to equip more people with this life-saving antidote.

Narcan is a medication that reverses the potential overdoes in someone using an opioid. To learn how to use it, a group of people gathered at the San Juan County Partnership building on Friday.

“Today we are doing a Narcan training for the largest group of people that we had an opportunity to train yet,” Executive Director Anna Krutsky said. “We are one of six counties across the state right now working on this initiative because we are seeing an increase in overdose deaths due to opioid uses.”

A rise that is especially felt in San Juan County. The county has been identified as one of the highest-risk places in the state for overdose deaths of illicit drugs.

In fact, according to San Juan County Partnership’s most recent data, the drug overdose rate is 32.4 deaths per 100,000 people, when in 2015 when that number was closer to 10.

Fentanyl is playing a role in those rising numbers.

“Pills that people take that they think are prescription medications, but they are actually synthetically made opioids often laced with fentanyl which we all know this day in age is much more dangerous than many of the other opioids out there,” Krutsky said.

Even for the most dangerous opioid, Narcan can stop an overdose, and ultimately save a life.

“We would like to have as many people as possible aware of what an overdose looks like to increase the potential for people to be able to stop one if they see one or help people find ways to access Narcan in the community,” Krutsky said.

San Juan County Partnership will continue to hold Narcan training sessions each quarter.