Gainesboro’s Bridge Community Church will host a NARCAN training session Saturday.
Outreach Coordinator Nikki Stover said learning how to use the rescue medicine is important. As part of the training, participants will be given their own NARCAN kit. Stover said administering NARCAN is easy, but it can still be nerve-wracking.
“We clearly are in the midst of an opioid crisis in the state, well, in the country, really.” Stover said “So, we just want to bring awareness that NARCAN does save lives.”
Stover said she believes in the importance of having and knowing how to administer NARCAN. She said as a recovering addict herself who had to administer the treatment, she saw first-hand its life-saving ability.
“The main thing you can do is stay calm, ” Stover said. “It is a nasal spray, you just put it up their nose, and push the plunger. This day and age you can literally run into someone who’s overdosing in a parking lot. So its nice to have that on hand and it will be provided.”
Tennessee Mental Health Regional Overdose Prevention Specialist Justin Cantrell will teach Saturday’s event. It begins at 1pm at the church on West Hull Avenue.
“I have people now that are in recovery that would not be alive today if it wasn’t for it,” Stover said. “One of those people actually being the father of my children. So, someone having the NARCAN on hand and being either trained or just being willing to try to help save a life that day, my children still have their father here today because of NARCAN.”
