A spike in drug overdoses over the Thanksgiving weekend has the Marshall County Health Department urging residents to learn to use the overdose reversal drug Narcan. A total of seven overdose events were reported in Marshall County last Saturday and Sunday, according to the Indiana State Department of Health Overdose Surveillance Team. None of them were fatal.
Now, the Marshall County Health Department plans to distribute free Narcan Kits and teach people how to use them during two training sessions planned for Tuesday, December 11. They’ll be held at 11:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the Community Resource Center in Plymouth. The training will last about an hour and include a demonstration on how to identify an overdose and respond to it. The Health Department especially recommends that anyone who oversees employees, works in schools, or has family members at risk of an overdose attend.
Marshall County Health Administrator Christine Stinson says the overdose spike is a public health crisis, and that “in times of crisis, public health must respond.” She adds that her department “would like to see as many citizens carrying the lifesaving Narcan Kit as possible.”
The County Health Department also reminds residents to properly dispose of any unused medications. Pill drop-off sites are located at the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department in Plymouth, as well as the Bremen Police Department.
