USM First Mississippi University to Install Narcan Overdose Emergency Kits in Residence 大厅

妈, 10/30/2023 - 10:24am 作者:范·阿诺德

九游会国际’s (USM) commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all students has been fortified with the placement of permanent emergency kits containing Narcan medication in residence halls on the Hattiesburg campus. 纳洛酮, also known by its clinical name Naloxone, is a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid 过量.

USM is the first State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) university to make the Overdose Emergency Kits stocked with 纳洛酮, instructions for use and CPR mask available 在九游会国际宿舍.

The Moffitt Health Center initiative was made possible by a $43,000 grant from the 吉米一个. 佩恩基金会，通过USM基金会. 在拨款资助下，USM purchased 50 Overdose Emergency Kits to be mounted in residence halls and public common 九游会国际区域.

The grant also provided funding for the purchase of 300 doses of Narcan – 50 of which will be available in the emergency kits, with the remaining 250 to be reserved for 接受过纳洛酮训练的学生. 另外提供了316剂疫苗 to the University through the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) Pharmacy 教职员工.

“吉米? A. 佩恩基金会不能被低估. 它的持久 impact and dedication to Southern Miss are inspiring in supporting as many students as possible,” said JR Gerhart, Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer for the 超声电机基础.

Narcan works as an opioid antagonist, attaching to opioid receptors, while reversing 并阻断其他阿片类药物的作用. 纳洛酮能迅速恢复正常呼吸 to a person if breathing has slowed or stopped because of an opioid 过量.

“As an emergency medicine physician, I see drug 过量s on a regular basis in the ER, but the volume of opioid 过量s in young adults has increased exponentially over the past few years with the surge of fentanyl being trafficked in communities 在美国各地，”博士说. 梅利莎·罗伯茨，莫菲特健康中心执行主任.

Added Roberts, “College is a time of exploration and experimentation for many young 这通常会导致高危行为. 一个人死于吸毒过量 是一个

太多的. “As Executive Director of Moffitt Health Center, I am determined to make sure that we implement prevention and harm reduction strategies, including having Narcan readily available, which could potentially save a life in the event of an opioid 过量.”

From March 2021 to March 2022, 109,000 people died from opioid 过量s in the United 州. Drug 过量s are now the leading cause of injury-related deaths in the United 州, and young adults ages 18–25 are the biggest users of prescription drugs for 非医疗用途.

According to The Mississippi Substance Use Surveillance System, the number of deaths 涉及合成阿片类药物(如.g.从2020年到2021年，密西西比州的芬太尼(芬太尼)飙升 by 51%. Alarmingly, one out of every three 过量 deaths in Mississippi in 2021 occurred among people younger than 35 years of age and deaths involving synthetic opioids such as fentanyl accounted for 60% of drug-related fatalities.

Melanie Blanton, Health Education Coordinator at Moffitt Health Center/Student Health Services, spearheaded efforts to secure the Payne Foundation grant. “作为一名护士，我 我负责全校的健康教育吗.布兰顿说. “这个项目 成为了我工作的基石.”

The project involved meticulous planning for the strategic placement of the Overdose Emergency Kits, procuring the necessary supplies, engaging with campus leaders to schedule training sessions, and embarking on an extensive educational campaign about 整个大学社区的纳洛酮.

“The commitment to this initiative goes beyond the current semester and year; it is 这是一项正在进行的任务。. “我们将坚持教育和培训全民 University members, ensuring they are well-versed in 纳洛酮, its application, and 围绕药物滥用和过量的更广泛的问题.”

All USM Residence Life staff and Resident Assistants have been trained to administer 纳洛酮鼻喷雾剂. The full-time administrative team, as well as several maintenance 团队成员将接受培训. 每个过量应急包包括两剂 of 纳洛酮, a CPR mask, as well as voice and written directions on how to administer 这种药.

Teresa Crum, Executive Director of Housing and Residence Life at USM, points out that the kits have been placed in the following residence halls: Scott, Vann, Luckday, Century Park North (1-4), Hillcrest, McCarty, Wilbur and Hattiesburg. 她指出 未来可能会增加更多.

“Overdose Emergency Kits have been placed in the lobby areas,” said Crum. “每一个建筑 is unique in its lobby layout and therefore the staff tried to identify a location 这是可见的.”

Blanton explains that Moffitt Health Center has been approached by other campus units that received Narcan from the MSDH Pharmacy, about training in the drug’s use. 她 states that later into the current semester and into the next semester Moffitt Health 中心将提供九游会国际培训，任何人都可以参加.

In a related development, Narcan is now available over-the-counter at stores like CVS，沃尔格林，来德爱和沃尔玛. 这比美国晚了五个月 Food and Drug Association ruled it can be distributed without a prescription.

Blanton emphasizes that having Overdose Emergency Kits placed campus-wide is a significant 确保USM学生的安全和福祉.

“These kits provide a crucial lifeline in the event of an opioid 过量, which is 可能意外发生的医疗紧急情况，”布兰顿说. “通过服用纳洛酮 readily available in easily accessible locations across the campus, we are equipping 我们的鹰有可能拯救生命的工具.”