By Edmond Ortiz
A San Antonio-based program has begun an effort to offer free naloxone and overdose training to students, instructors and staff at Texas institutions of higher learning.
What’s happening
Naloxone Texas, part of the Be Well Institute on Substance Use and Related Disorders at the University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center, is focusing on public and private universities, community colleges and trade schools in a larger effort to address the opioid crisis, which is especially affecting young adults statewide.
According to the Naloxone Project, more than 357,000 people at risk of opioid overdose visited emergency rooms in 2021. The same organization states that overdose is the leading cause of perinatal deaths, and that overdose deaths among adolescents increased by 109% between 2019 and 2021.
According to a UT Health San Antonio press release, Naloxone – known commercially as Narcan – remains a key medication that can quickly reverse an opioid overdose and help to save lives.
The release states that naloxone is an easy but powerful tool that can assist bystanders in emergency situations before medical professionals get to the scene of an overdose.
What they’re saying
Dr. Tara Karns-Wright, Naloxone Texas’ director and assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UTHSCSA, said this new initiative is about empowering college students and employees in their community.
Naloxone Texas has been distributing narcan to organizations and individuals particularly in areas at high risk for overdose based on county-level data. Naloxone Texas also provides evidence-based training via on-demand, virtual modules that teach participants how to recognize and respond to an overdose.
“At Naloxone Texas, we believe every college campus should be equipped with the knowledge and resources to respond to an opioid overdose,” Karns-Wright said in a statement. “Thanks to the generous support of our funders at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and the Texas Legislature, we’re making this life-saving medication more accessible and helping everyone become first responders in moments that matter most.”
What you can do
According to UTHSCSA officials, Naloxone Texas will take part in multiple back-to-school events at community colleges statewide this fall, including campuses in San Antonio, Austin and Houston. At these functions, students and staff can sign up for free naloxone kits, learn how to use them, and ask questions about overdose prevention and treatment resources.
Additionally, college administrators, student health services, and campus organizations are urged to request free naloxone kits and schedule training sessions by visiting www.naloxonetexas.com.
