Washington Poison Center urges action on International Overdose Awareness Day

SEATTLE, Aug. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Washington Poison Center (WAPC), Washington's nonprofit resource on poison prevention and drug safety, joins communities and organizations in recognizing International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31. This global event honors those lost to overdose and emphasizes the need for ongoing prevention strategies.

This year, the WAPC is focusing on a critical but often overlooked aspect of overdose response: community first responders. Family members, friends, and community members are often the first to act during an overdose, providing life-saving assistance before professional help arrives. Their actions can mean the difference between life and death.

To empower these community first responders, WAPC's Public Health Educators have facilitated 27 "Naloxone, Opioids, and Stigma" trainings over the past year, reaching over 600 participants across Washington. Attendees included college students, social workers, and staff from organizations serving unhoused populations.

"Naloxone, Opioids, and Stigma" is unique from other overdose prevention trainings in its focus on stigma and use of experiential learning. This approach teaches participants how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose, while actively engaging them in reflection on personal biases and societal stigma. Evaluations show that all participants left knowing how to access naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses, and significantly increased confidence in administering it.

 "Participants are leaving our sessions ready to respond to an opioid overdose," says Justin Mauger, WAPC's educator in Eastern Washington. "They are trained to administer naloxone, they understand it is not a harmful substance, and they are ready to move from being a bystander to a lifesaver when it is time to act."

On International Overdose Awareness Day, the Washington Poison Center calls on all Washingtonians to become informed, get trained, and support efforts to prevent overdose deaths in their communities. To schedule a "Naloxone, Opioids, and Stigma" training in your community, contact the WAPC Public Health Education team at [email protected].

About the Washington Poison Center: The Washington Poison Center (WAPC) is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and reducing harm from poisonings and overdoses. The WAPC's expert staff of nurses, pharmacists, and physicians are a reliable and consistent resource for timely, relevant, and life-saving information, 24/7, at no cost to people and healthcare providers in Washington State.

SOURCE Washington Poison Center