NWTC Service-Learning and Civic Engagement 2018-2019 | Page 38

OPIOIDS
NARCAN KIT ASSEMBLY
Addressing the opioid
epidemic one kit at a time.
According to the Wisconsin Department
of Health Services, an average of about
three people die in Wisconsin each
day from opioid-related overdoses.
But people are working on the front
lines to bring that number down.
Across the state, people are getting
trained on how to administer naloxone,
better known as Narcan, the antidote that
can save a life. Recently, as the result of
a state grant, the AIDS Resource Center
dispenses a two-pack Narcan kit for free
to anyone in need, along with simple
directions on how to administer the spray.
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On a rainy spring morning, a group of
nursing program students gathered at
the center to help out and learn more
about the cause. Nursing faculty member
Cheryl Kollath shared, “The students
are assembling NARCAN kits and they’re
distributed to anybody who needs them. If
you had anybody in your family who uses
drugs or opioids who overdosed you could
come and grab a kit completely for free.”
Through this activity, the students not only
learn more about the opioid epidemic, but
they also become advocates for inclusive
patient care. “One of the biggest things that