North Hempstead Town Supervisor, Jennifer DeSena and the Town Board are pleased to announce that the town is partnering with Northwell Health to hold a free opioid overdose prevention workshop for residents on Monday, April 8 at 3 p.m. at the “Yes We Can” Community Center, 141 Garden Street in Westbury.
“There’s no doubt that the opioid epidemic is one of the most pressing issues we face in this country today and Long Island is not immune to it. It seems as if every community has experienced these tragedies,” said DeSena. “That’s why North Hempstead has joined our long-time partners in care at Northwell to teach our residents how to use Narcan. The course is open to anyone, but if you do know someone with an opioid addiction, this might help you save their life.”
The program will teach participants how to prevent, recognize, and respond to an overdose.
All who complete the program will be provided a free Narcan (Naloxone) kit. Narcan is a prescription medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose in persons with breathing problems, severe sleepiness or when the person is not responsive.
It works by attaching itself to opioid receptors and reverses and blocks the effects of opioids, quickly restoring normal breathing to a person whose respiratory function has slowed due to the overdose.
To learn more, please call 311.
