Woman’s Voice: The Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition is a diverse group of dedicated community members united around the goal of reducing substance use in Lenawee County. LSAPC members work collaboratively to engage and educate the community in order to promote a healthy Lenawee.
Kathy Williams: This is Kathy Williams and with me on tonight’s program is Christy Brugger. And we are going to be talking about what to look for and what kind of action to take when there’s a possible opioid overdose happening. Christy, tell our listeners a little bit about you.
Christy Brugger: My name is Christy Brugger and I’m a member of the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. I also work for Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority as the Program Coordinator for Pathways Engagement Center.
Kathy Williams: So Christy, I know we keep statistical information on what’s going on in Lenawee County, as far as opioid overdoses. And you know, a lot of people might not even know what to look for. Sometimes this happens just out in public and takes people unaware. So, what kind of things are signs that there could be an opioid overdose happening?
Christy Brugger: So, signs would be blue or gray lips or fingers – if someone’s darker complected, their skin might look ashen; pinpoint pupils; deep snoring or gurgling noises; they could have slowed or no breathing at all; and have been going as being unresponsive to pain.
Kathy Williams: Okay. And I don’t understand the logic of people using opioids other than I know some people use it as a pain medication from a severe accident or whatever, but of course we want to be sure that we’re prepared should we run into someone that’s going through something like this. So, what kind of actions should we consider doing?
Christy Brugger: So, I think everyone should carry Narcan.
Kathy Williams: Wow.
Christy Brugger: That’s a very important piece because even if you do come upon somebody and think that they might be overdosing and you administer Narcan, it will not hurt them if that’s not the case for them.
Kathy Williams: Okay. That’s good to know. And there are places where you can get the Narcan at no additional cost too. I believe there was a handout not long ago.
Christy Brugger: Yes. So the day of HOPE…
Kathy Williams: Which will be coming up later this summer.
Christy Brugger: Yes. That was a big one. There were plenty of people from the community that day. I do know soon come there will be other events that I will be able to let you know about in the future where we will be training people to administer.
Kathy Williams: Okay. Oh, there you go. And cause it’s kind of similar to an Epipen, isn’t it? Only it’s nasal?
Christy Brugger: Yes. It’s yes, it’s actually quite simple.
Kathy Williams: Okay.
Christy Brugger: Simple as that: one little spray in the nose and a couple of minutes later, a spray in the other nostril.
Kathy Williams: There you go. So I know there’s an acronym for action that you should take. Can you run us through that?
Christy Brugger: So the first one is arouse: it’s like the three S’s: you Shout their name, you want to Shake their shoulders, and it Sternal rub. So that’s when you realize if they’re unresponsive to pain or not. A sternal rub is simply taking your knuckles, putting it into somebody’s chest, rubbing vigorously up and down. That is painful. So most of the time people will arouse from that. The second is check for the signs of overdose, which we talked about, the, you know, the bluish lips and fingernails, the unresponsive pain, deep snoring… Third, you want to call 911.
Kathy Williams: Okay.
Christy Brugger: And then fourth would be giving that Narcan, whether it be intermuscular or through the nose. You can next, you can start doing rescue breaths. You can give two breaths initially, and then maybe a breath every five seconds for about 30 seconds or even start CPR if you know how to do that, and then you want to repeat giving the Narcan again. So you would give the Narcan in one nostril and you’d give it a minute or two and you would give it in the other. And then you want to make sure that you put them in the safety, the recovery position, which is on their side.
Kathy Williams: Okay.
Christy Brugger: And then it’s also really important to remember that Narcan only lasts for anywhere from 30 to 120 minutes, depending on how much the person has in their system. So if you find someone, it’s imperative that you call 911 because they can just, after 30 minutes they can go right back into overdosing again.
Kathy Williams: Even without administering more drugs, they could do that?
Christy Brugger: Yes.
Kathy Williams: So there you go. So you’re not done when you, when you’ve administered the Narcan, that’s just saved them temporarily.
Christy Brugger: Yes.
Kathy Williams: I did not realize that. Christy, you know, we talk a lot about how this particular epidemic has really grown nationwide. And so I know that there are support groups out there to help people that are having problems with opioid use or any kind of substance use. And of course they can always refer to the Lenawee Community Health, Mental Health for some help.
Christy Brugger: Yes.
Kathy Williams: And also for the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, they can get more information about overdose, opioid overdose and ways to take action on the DrugPreventionLenawee.com on that website.
Christy Brugger: Yes.
Kathy Williams: So lots of good information out there. Lots of ways that we can be more aware and help our, our neighbors and a family and friends to not have this be the end of their journey.
Christy Brugger: Absolutely.
Kathy Williams: Thanks so much, Christie. We appreciate you.
Christy Brugger: Thank you.
Woman’s Voice: Thank you for listening. This information has been provided by the Lenawee Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. Supported by funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration. New messages air on the first and third Monday of each month at 6:15 p.m. You can listen to this program as a podcast under the audio tab on WLEN.com and listen and gather more information at DrugPreventionLenawee.com.
