Registration is open for an opioid educational event with free opioid response kits, set for 11:45 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Tuesday, July 25 in Easton.
The Talbot County Chamber of Commerce is hosting the lunch and learn for Operation Save a Life, which is an overdose prevention campaign from Talbot Goes Purple.
Operation Save a Life is a unique campaign that provides free opioid overdose response kits for participating businesses, non-profits, faith and civic organizations, and other places interested in ensuring that the critical life-saving medication is on-site.
Elizabeth Williams, certified Narcan trainer and substance misuse prevention consultant, will lead the training on behalf of Talbot Goes Purple and Operation Save a Life, for anyone interested in learning about opioids, the opioid public health crisis, and how Narcan reverses opioid overdoses. Certificates are available for those wanting educational credit.
Narcan, which is a brand of Naloxone, is a medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose and is available in Maryland without a prescription.
Participating businesses will get a small, clear, wall-mounted unit that contains two doses of the opioid reversal medication, Narcan, plus CPR barrier, gloves, and a small window cling to display if desired.
This event is held at the Chamber Office at 101 Marlboro Ave. Ste. 53 and includes lunch. Cost is $20 for chamber members; $25 for non-members. Registration is available online at talbotchamber.org (navigate to calendar, then click on the event).
Training is provided by MarylandROPTA (Reinforcing Overdose Prevention through Training and Advocacy), a project funded by University of Maryland, Extension.
Drug overdose deaths hit a record high of 109,680 in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Maryland, however, reduced fatalities by about 7% from 2021 to 2022. And in Talbot County, fatal overdoses declined 15% between September 2021 and September 2021.
Talbot Goes Purple is an awareness and educational prevention program that empowers our youth and our community to ‘Go Purple’ as a sign of taking a stand against substance abuse. The initiative includes purple clubs in our middle and high schools, through which students learn they do not need drugs or alcohol to meet life’s challenges.
The community can again display purple lights and gear starting Sept. 1 and throughout the month as a show of taking a stand against substance abuse. More information is available at www.talbotgoespurple.org. Find TGP on Facebook @TalbotGoesPurple or email [email protected].
Talbot Goes Purple is in partnership with Talbot County Public Schools, Saints Peter and Paul School, and Mid-Shore Community Foundation.
Talbot Goes Purple is a component fund of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization – donations to which are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.