The Bureau of Justice Assistance, in collaboration with the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program (COAP) team, is hosting the "Saving a Life Twice: The Naloxone Plus Solution to Reducing Overdoses and Connecting to Treatment" webinar on March 21, 2018 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET. Attendees will learn how the Naloxone Plus framework can help "safe a life twice" — first, by reviving someone who has overdosed, and second, by connecting him or her to treatment... and the hope of preventing another overdose (OD).
As underscored in the report by the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis (Commission), “Our people are dying. More than 175 lives [are] lost every day” to the rising tide of opioid ODs. As communities across the country struggle with the crisis, the nation's first responders, law enforcement officers, and public and behavioral health personnel are having to quickly learn how best to respond — and respond together — to save lives. Post-overdose strategies require much more than simply administering naloxone. Now, a solution is at hand — with the "Naloxone Plus" pathway, public health and public safety workers can offer assistance beyond the immediate overdose incident, connecting people to treatment and, hopefully, preventing additional ODs.
This webinar will explore:
- The newly emerging field of pre-arrest diversion and its role as part of the solution to the nation’s opioid epidemic;
- The definition of Naloxone Plus and elements of the framework; and
- The need to connect overdose survivors to treatment.
This strategy — and webinar — are geared for all projects, sites, and jurisdictions responding to overdoses at the intersection of the public health and public safety systems. While the framework was built as a public health response, it can be adapted for a variety of populations and systems, such as the public safety community, including fire and emergency medical services workers, and hospitals for post-release tracking.
Presenters include:
- Jac A. Chalier, National Director for Justice Initiatives with the Center for Health and Justice at Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities; and
- Lieutenant Tom Fallon, Investigative Commander of the Hamilton County Heroin Task Force with the Amberley Village, Ohio Police Department.