WVU School of Nursing Beckley Campus students receive naloxone training from Beckley Fire Department
BECKLEY, W.Va. — A West Virginia University School of Nursing Beckley Campus professor recently organized a naloxone training event for 25 senior level nursing students to learn about the opioid overdose reversal medication — a potentially life-saving tool.
“This training helps students become aware of Narcan, its use, and its impact on people coming into the hospital,” said Peggy Fink, an assistant professor, who organized the event with the assistance of the Beckley Fire Department.
“Drug use is so common everywhere,” Fink continued. “Many young people die nationally simply because people are afraid to get involved.”
Carley Knuckles, president of the WVU Tech Chapter of Active Minds, said students learned more about why people use substances and what substances are becoming more prevalent. They also learned how to recognize signs someone has overdosed, how to administer naloxone, and where naloxone can be obtained.
“This training is so important, especially in our community of Raleigh County,” Knuckles said. “We are No. 8 in the country in overdoses. As nurses and community members, we have a duty to know the signs and be good Samaritans by providing doses of naloxone in a suspected overdose.”
The Beckley Fire Department also discussed naloxone safety precautions and the importance of reducing stigma around those who use substances.
Knuckles added, “We were taught to unlearn our implicit bias of how we see those who use drugs and to care for these individuals in a non-stigmatizing manner.”
Fink expressed her gratitude to the Beckley Fire Department: “They have been generous in their time and willingness to offer this valuable training.”
Fink is working to provide additional training opportunities to other majors on the Beckley Campus. She is also hopeful to find grant funding to supply students with their own dose of naloxone.
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CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu