Library event to address opioid overdose prevention

The Whatcom County Health Department will be hosting an event providing information on opioids and preventing overdoses from 1 to 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 28 in the Blaine library.

Public health nurses will deliver a presentation on naloxone, the generic name of the medication used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Narcan is a brand name of the medication, and is often used interchangeably when talking about naloxone.

“They will be explaining how to assess for signs of overdose, explaining a little bit about the opioid crisis, what that means in our county and how to access Narcan,” said public health nurse supervisor Lynn Pittsinger.

Naloxone is non-addictive and can be purchased without a prescription at many pharmacies. Pittsinger said the medication removes the opioid from its receptor site so that someone who has overdosed can recover.

The event at the Blaine library is one of several educational opportunities that the health department has been hosting in the county on opioids and overdose prevention.

“We’ve more recently been trying to do in-person trainings, knowing this might be a better way to reach folks so they have a more hands-on experience in order to learn more about this,” health department communications specialist Melissa Morin said.

For people unable to attend the upcoming event, Morin said the website whatcomhope.org has several helpful and educational resources about opioids.

“They’re trying to get the word out into the smaller communities,” branch manager Debby Farmer said. “We have naloxone in the library here and the staff has had training on it, but I think it’s more important to get the word out to the rest of the community.”

When a public health nurse contacted her a few months ago about hosting the event, Farmer said she was happy to help the Blaine community become more aware of the issue.

“This is near and dear to our hearts because we serve people in all sorts of situations, and libraries are becoming more and more a contact place for the need to have this awareness and capability to help when needed,” she said.