MARGARETVILLE — One hundred potentially fatal opioid overdoses were reversed in the past year because of a Delaware County substance use disorder treatment and education program led by Margaretville Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth).The overdose reversals were possible due to the public availability and usage awareness of Narcan, used in the emergency treatment of an opioid overdose.
The Margaretville Hospital addiction services program expands local access to substance use prevention and treatment resources. As part of the program and for the community’s convenient, cost-free access to Narcan during an overdose emergency, Margaretville Hospital certified recovery peer advocates initiated the installation of outdoor boxes for Narcan kit storage outside of the west side entrance to the hospital, as well as in front of the Huggins Building on the Margaretville Hospital campus.
The easy-to-use Narcan nasal spray will reverse an opioid overdose within minutes and can be used by anyone without fear of harming the recipient.
The free, lifesaving Narcan kits are also available through WMCHealth substance use disorder-programs across the Hudson Valley.
Certified recovery peer advocates from Margaretville Hospital and its community partners Samadhi Recovery Community Outreach Center, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council of Delaware County Delaware Opportunities, Project Safe Point, Mountaintop Cares Coalition, the Catskills Addiction Coalition, Ellenville Regional Hospital and the Catskills Hudson Area Health Education Center regularly attend community events, at which the peer specialists have trained approximately 1,000 community members in Narcan use since the program’s inception. The combination of the Narcan use training and the public availability of the Narcan therapy are the reasons behind the overdose reversals and subsequent lives saved, according to the Margaretville Hospital program representatives.
