Feds Create Toolkit for Opioid Overdose Prevention

The Office of National Drug Control Policy recently announced the release of an Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit.   The toolkit provides information on opioid overdose prevention, treatment, and recovery.  It consists of five documents, with information for different groups:  patients, prescribers, first responders, overdose survivors and family members, and community members.
For example, the document for first responders recommends the following five steps to reduce death from opioid overdoses:

1. Call for help (dial 911) to get someone with medical expertise there as soon as possible;
2. Check for signs of overdose, such as vomiting, gurgling noises, or slow or stopped breathing or heartbeat;
3. Support the person’s breathing by ventilating the person with pure oxygen or administering rescue breathing;
4. Administer Naloxone (Narcan), which can reverse certain potentially fatal effects of opioid overdose; and
5. Monitor the person’s response for at least four hours from the last administration of Narcan.

The toolkit was developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), within the Department of Health and Human Services.  The toolkit is available on SAMHSA’s website.