Community learns life-saving training

Spearheading the effort to decrease opiate use and overdoses in Sanders County, Hot Springs Police Department in partnership with Hot Springs Community Ambulance and Whiteline Consulting and Training have reached out to the public for help in aiding the fight against the opioid epidemic. Nearly 30 community members attended a free Narcan training last Saturday at the Hot Springs Fire Hall, a first for Sanders County.

"We are never going to win the war on drugs, but there are steps we can take to mitigate it," said Hot Springs Police Officer Jason Acheson. "Just like CPR, it's better to be equipped with an intervention. Narcan is that intervention."

Narcan is the brand name for the drug naloxone, a medication used for the emergency treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose. The treatment reverses the symptoms of an overdose by restoring breathing and blocking the effects of opioids to the body.

Opioids or opioid-based drugs include but are not limited to morphine, heroin, oxycodone, Vicodin and fentanyl, a synthetic opioid drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to be used for pain relief and is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.

While Narcan is readily available to the public in larger cities and more densely populated communities, Acheson, who organized the event, hopes the training will increase awareness of the lack of resources in rural communities, such as those in Sanders County.

Hot Springs Ambulance Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Amy Gray reiterated the message that there are several ways an overdose can occur other than illegal drugs, such as the use of prescription medications or accidental exposure, and Narcan can help in a number of different situations. "The numbers are skyrocketing throughout the nation and we are starting to see it around here," she said. "If you have this training and you have this Narcan, you can save lives. You are not going to hurt someone by giving it to them."

Montana State Crime Lab reported a 116% increase in fentanyl-related deaths from 2019 to 2020. Acheson says right now, methamphetamine and heroin are the biggest concerns in Hot Springs, as well as drugs that have been laced with fentanyl. The Department of Health and Human Services (DPHHS) states from 2011 to 2020, Sanders County saw a total of 12 poisoning deaths, which included five or more methamphetamine-related overdose deaths and five or more opioid-related overdose deaths.

The State of Montana has issued a standing order that allows Montanans to access naloxone without a prescription. Organizations and facilities may create a Memorandum of Understanding with the State of Montana that will allow them to order naloxone directly from a contracted pharmacy without restrictions. The Standing Order for Naloxone Opioid Antagonist states authorized pharmacists who maintain a licensed practice in Montana, have the authority to initiate a prescription and dispense naloxone to eligible recipients.

Hot Springs resident David Max participated in the training because he wanted a solid solution he could rely on should a problem arise. "We have an opioid crisis in our country and in our community in addition to fentanyl having potentially deadly consequences," he said. "I wanted to have a potential remedy available if I'm ever in the situation where having this life saving medication could help."

To combat the recent rise in opiate overdoses, DPHHS and Best Practice Medicine have combined resources to coordinate a statewide effort to train Naloxone Master Trainers to go out into the communities and face the problem head on, putting Narcan in the public hands to help the state cope with not only the lack of resources to obtain Narcan rurally, but the lack of first responders in the state as well.

"Hot Springs is lucky, we have two master trainers right here," Acheson said. Hot Springs Ambulance Advanced EMTs John Carlbom and Emmitt Tucker trained those in attendance on how to recognize, respond and prevent an opioid overdose, as well as how to administer the intranasal naloxone.

"The opioid crisis is here," Carlbom said to those at the training. "You may not be seeing it and you may not be hearing about it but we see it everywhere we go. Small towns, big cities, it's everywhere." Carlbom, owner of Whiteline Consulting and Training, has been a Naloxone Master Trainer for the last six years and says the pushback he sees from the public on the access of Narcan stems from a lack of understanding. Carlbom says he's received comments from the public such as, why not give out free epi pens for the people allergic to bees and why is cancer treatment not free? "There are a lot of folks who are not happy with free Narcan," he said. "They think it's just for drug users." He continued, "I had to give Narcan to an 80 year old. In my 26 years of doing this, never would I have thought I would have to administer to an 80 year old, but it was because of an accidental overdose from putting on two pain patches."

Opioids can be found in a medicine cabinet, where it was legally prescribed by a doctor or it can be illegally found on the streets. "We're doing this for everybody," Carlbom stated. "The sooner we get this out to the public, the better."

For the 28 people who participated and completed the training, their names will be entered into a database and will be mailed two free doses of Narcan. "This is just the beginning, but it was a good start and a good turnout," Acheson said after the training.

The Narcan doses are administered via a nasal spray and should be mailed out in less than a week. While the training only needs to be taken one time, should a trained member of the public need more Narcan, an order form will have to be submitted through the DPHHS website.

Tucker, who is also the Chief Operations Officer for Whiteline Consulting and Training and a Naloxone Master Trainer for the last six years, says Narcan, if stored properly, can last up to two years. Tucker helped train half of those in attendance to carry Narcan and says the turnout is promising. "The more people in the public who can do this, the more lives are saved," he said. "The quicker we can get people on board, the better it's going to be."

Acheson says there have been conversations about future training in other towns in Sanders County. For now, those who are looking for more information on Narcan can visit the DPHHS website.