Georgia Southern University’s Office of Student Wellness and Health Promotion, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH) Center for Addiction Recovery and Health Services have partnered to provide overdose prevention education to the campus community.
The University will distribute naloxone, which is used to rapidly and temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, allowing time for first responders to arrive and initiate further intervention, to the campus community at no cost. Savannah nonprofit No More O.D.s donated a large quantity of naloxone to Georgia Southern for this purpose.
“The health and safety of our campus and the many visitors it welcomes are of high priority,” said Shay Little, Ph.D., vice president for Student Affairs. “By increasing access to naloxone we are equipping our community with another life-saving tool.” Georgia Southern Public Health Administrator Sean Bear, DrPH, agrees.
“Naloxone is a life-saving medication,” he noted. “It is safe, fast-acting and easy to use.”
Although many in the Georgia Southern community do not consume alcohol or other recreational substances, opioid overdoses can occur under a number of circumstances. Misuse of prescription opioids provided by a health care provider or the use of illegal opioids can result in negative health consequences, including overdoses. Some common prescription opioids include codeine, morphine, hydrocodone and oxycodone, among others. Counterfeit pills designed to look like prescription opioids often contain a synthetic opioid known as fentanyl, with many of these pills containing enough fentanyl in just one dose to cause an opioid overdose.
“The primary aim of distributing naloxone and providing education on overdose prevention, recognition and response is to save lives,” said Robert Bohler, Ph.D., JPHCOPH assistant professor.
Just as AED/CPR first aid boxes are placed strategically across campus, naloxone kits and utilization instructions will be placed in high-traffic, high-risk areas. Distribution locations include the Campus Food Pantries (all campuses), Center for Addiction and Recovery (Statesboro Campus), Health Centers (Statesboro and Armstrong campuses), Counseling Centers (Statesboro and Armstrong campuses), and Student Wellness and Health Promotion (Statesboro and Armstrong campuses).
“All naloxone packages come with instructions, however, additional educational information, such as a video link on how to administer naloxone, where to find additional information and more will be available at each of these distribution locations,” said Gemma Skuraton, DrPH, director of Student Wellness and Health Promotion.
Universities play a vital role in promoting harm-reduction strategies. As such, Georgia Southern is committed to ensuring the availability, accessibility and education surrounding naloxone on each of its campuses. Educational initiatives will focus on overdose prevention, recognizing signs and symptoms of overdose, overdose response planning, naloxone administration, legal protections (Georgia’s 911 Medical Amnesty Law and Georgia Southern’s Amnesty Protocol), bystander intervention, and treatment and recovery service availability on campus and in the community.
You can sign-up for an open workshop to learn more on the Student Wellness and Health Promotion webpage.
