I found out about the Narcan training when I was a part of a board in my community. Someone came to a meeting and asked us if we wanted to learn how to use Narcan. I said, “Yes.” I was motivated to take the training because I knew people that use drugs and I wanted to learn how to save them in case of an overdose. 

They told us what it was used for, how it can save people in the community and family members that are on drugs and they showed us how to use it. I learned a lot about it and how to use it to save someone who overdoses. It may not work but at least you try to save them. So far, I never had to use it — but it is always good to have the Narcan kit and to know how to use it. I think the Narcan kits should be smaller for people to carry in their pocket more easily so that they’ll be more likely to have it with them in case they do have to use it.

We need to take care of the people in our community — because if we don’t, who will? We have to make sure our community is safe to live in. Taking the Narcan training is one way to contribute to collective care. 

A Narcan kit can save a life. If everyone in the community got training on how to use a Narcan kit, there would be fewer people going to the hospital and dying from overdoses. It is not only adults that are overdosing — it’s teenagers who overdose, as well. We also need to show the youth how to use Narcan kits. The community doesn’t need people to die from overdosing on drugs. We don’t need to see children die from drugs. 

We don’t know everyone’s story — and everyone is human. Some people use drugs because something happened to them. It could be one of your family members that uses drugs. We should look at everyone in the community we live in and think, “That could be me or someone that I know.” You would want someone to help you and not just walk past you in the street.

It’s bad when people can’t even go to a shelter because they are on drugs and when rehab places don’t take people if they are on a certain drug. They just leave them out in the cold. If shelters and rehab centers don’t take people, they are just going to go out in the street and they could die. Some people in the community had a hard time or got kicked out of the house and have no place to go — and the streets are the only place they can go. If the community stands together and helps out the youth, there will be fewer people on the street and on drugs. 

You can take the free training at your local hospital or call 311 and they can tell you where to take the training.  I shared this information with the Peer Vision team at Rise because it is an important resource for them to know about and share. Together, we can take care of the community.