LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Overdoses have spiked in one southern Indiana town, and it is educating the public how to help.
The Clark County Health Department is hosting free, drive-thru Narcan training Wednesday. Officials felt it was a creative way to do training during the pandemic and allow people to learn about Narcan, how to use it and give them some to take home.
The training is designed to help those who suffer from substance abuse or know someone who does, according to a news release from the department.
Dr. Eric Yazel believes the spike in overdoses is related to COVID-19.
"Our numbers for January, February and early March were just right on par with what they were in 2018. (In) 2019 and you can literally see COVID hit and see those numbers take off," Yazel says. "It's social isolation, lack of peer support, some of the programs were skilled back, mental illness, economic hardship. It was kind of the perfect storm for all of this."
Health department officials said they have tracked "at least" 159 heroin overdoses amid the coronavirus pandemic in Clark County to date and that the drug overdose rate in the county is "trending higher than years past."
Those numbers prompted the department to offer the training in an effort to help reduce the drug overdose rate. The training will also help participants learn about substance use disorder, available treatments and how to get support.
The training will take place Wednesday, Oct. 14 until 4 p.m. The health department is asking those interested to pre-register, which will help them figure out traffic to maintain social distancing. Masks will also be required. Officials say the training should take about 15 minutes.
To pre-register for the training, click here. There are several sessions available throughout the day.
The health department hopes to have more of these trainings in the future.
Copyright 2020 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
