Bemidji State University Hosts Opioid Awareness Presentation & Narcan Training

The United States is currently battling against an opioid overdose epidemic, with the National Institute on Drug Abuse reporting that in 2021 alone, over 80,000 reported deaths in the US were opioid-related. In an effort to fight against this epidemic, Bemidji State University has teamed up with the Rural AIDS Action Network (RAAN) to provide an opioid awareness and Narcan training session to help educate the community.

“There’s a great need in our community, not only for information about addiction and recovery, but about the support services that are in our area as well,” said BSU Health Education Coordinator Jay Passa.

A large part of this event was geared toward combating the stigma surrounding opioids and addiction, so that those affected by the substance can feel more comfortable seeking treatment.

“I think the stigma behind, like, addiction in general is really important to [recognize],” said Face It Together Bemidji Certified Peer Recovery Specialist Jenny Vance. “Harm reduction is a really good thing, nobody can get sober if they are not alive.”

While this event was meant to educate the community about the effects of opioids, it was also meant to provide training in the use of Narcan for the reversal of opioid overdoses.

“Narcan is a drug that if someone is experiencing a drug overdose from opioids,” explained RAAN Health Educator Andrea Herold. “You would give someone that when they don’t respond every two minutes until they wake up or until 911 arrives to give you help.”

By far the biggest reason for holding presentations like these is so that the public knows what measures can be taken to reduce harm.

“The biggest point I wanna get across is that we are here to help,” said Herold. “We are here to help someone where they are at, to get to the next step of being better.”

The event also included representatives from Face It Together Bemidji, which provides peer recovery and support services to those facing chemical addictions in the community.