Our men and women on the front lines of opioid addiction treatment are arming our first responders with a lifesaving tool.
The drug called Narcan (Naloxone) is now being rolled out in our rural communities to bring people back to life.
It’s something Oklahomans and the Cherokee Nation are fighting right now—opioid addiction and reversing its deadly side effects.
Logan Stinson went from taking opioid pain pills after getting his wisdom teeth pulled when he was 15 to becoming an addict.“I had no clue what I was getting into. None. 10 years later, after 10 years of addiction you know 10 years is how long it took me to learn, so we’ve come a long way, we have a long way to go and we all need to be open and receptive to what it is that we need to do,” said Stinson.
Now he’s working on the front lines in Muskogee at Green Country Behavioral Health Services helping others fight addiction.
Part of that fight is having Narcan in hand…
As part of a grant through the Cherokee Nation—first responders are making sure everyone can get access and use Narcan.
Narcan helps reverse the side effects of opioids.
Substance abuse professionals know this is one of many tools to fight the crisis.
“It has saved countless lives and unfortunately because our police haven’t had it for so long not having it has lost a lot of lives,” said Stinson.
The Cherokee Nation partnered with Neighbors Building Neighborhoods to conduct training in Muskogee County and provide the free Narcan kits.“Typically, in the rural areas, they may be there before an EMS can get there,” said Sam Bradshaw, who works for Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health Substance Abuse Prevention. “It’s not unique to just the Cherokee Nation with the 14 counties of Northeastern Oklahoma. it’s happening everywhere.”
Neighbors Building Neighborhoods said it plans to hold Narcan training sessions for schools and large businesses next.
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