KOKOMO – It was after her brother’s overdose last weekend that Tasha McColl decided to visit the library on Wednesday night in search of a solution.
It’s her worry, the same held by many across Howard County, that the next overdose could be the last; that the opioid and overdose epidemic gripping the area could soon devastate her own family.
So, McColl, joined by more than 20 people seated at tables of two and three in the lower level of downtown Kokomo’s library, sat in a darkened room and consumed a PowerPoint presentation about the danger of opioids and the signs and symptoms of an overdose.
The feel, not unlike a college lecture, was punctuated by studious note-taking and a variety of questions on how to save an overdose victim and the drugs causing the health crisis.
But most notably, the event, hosted by the Howard County Health Department, also provided McColl and other attendees with Narcan training and overdose rescue kits after a short session practicing the medication’s nasal spray.
Now, attendees are qualified to request more Narcan from the health department whenever they are in need. It’s a resource that has provided a ray of hope, along with mixed feelings, for McColl.
“I’m happy that it’s available for the community. It’s frustrating that I have to have it because his addiction is so far gone that I feel like there’s really no other hope for him other than to make sure I have this on hand,” she said.
The overdose kits included a dose of Narcan, or naloxone, and the device needed to use it, an instruction card, two postcards from the Indiana State Health Department meant to show officials how often Narcan is used, a list of drug recovery resources and more.
The presence of Narcan has been credited by many as keeping overdose deaths in Howard County from spiraling even further out of control than the 14 drug overdose deaths reported in the first quarter of 2017.
The use of Narcan is described by the U.S. National Library of Medicine as a way “to reverse the life-threatening effects of opiate [narcotic] overdose. … It works by blocking the effects of opiates to relieve dangerous symptoms caused by high levels of opiates in the blood.”
Through the first quarter, there were four “overdose Narcan” calls and an indeterminate amount of Narcan deployments elsewhere in the county, as the medication continues to become more accessible.
An “overdose Narcan” call is defined as an overdose call in which police or fire agencies respond and administer Narcan before medics arrive.
“It’s saving the lives of the people that we love,” said McColl, wiping away tears. “To think that I could possibly not have my brother because this isn’t available to us, I’m just very thankful that it’s here, that I have the chance to be able to come and get it.
“Being a single mom with two kids, I can’t really afford to go and get it, so the fact that it’s being presented to me for free to have, to make sure my little brother can live to see my kids grow up is great.”
People can also access Narcan by attending a training session at the Howard County Health Department, 120 E. Mulberry St. Room 206. Sessions are held from 1 to 2 p.m. every Tuesday, or health department officials can be contacted for a more convenient time.
McColl noted that she is going to advise her family, specifically her mother and grandmother, who live with her brother, to take advantage of the Narcan availability.
“I felt like I wanted to step in and be able to be there in case it happens again,” said McColl, noting that her family has never before used Narcan during an overdose situation, but that its presence will make her feel more comfortable.
The educational event was led by Howard County Public Health Project Coordinator Jennie Cauthern, who provided both statistics – 80 percent of heroin users start on prescription opioids – and information on how to deal with real-life overdoses.
Characteristics of opioid overdoses include pinpoint pupils and blue or purple lips and fingernails from lack of oxygen, said Cauthern, noting that the potency of synthetic opioids and drug mixtures have created severe situations.
And while Wednesday’s event was the first public presentation for Cauthern – who said “there is no wrong time to give naloxone” in the event of a possible overdose and referenced professional studies in denying the notion that Narcan serves as an enabler – it likely won’t be the last.
The health department, which has received two state grants for Narcan, saw a “need for more naloxone and more training for naloxone,” said Cauthern.
“There are so many people that either have a loved one or friend that they suspect is using opioids,” she said. “And an overdose can happen to anyone. It’s not just the people that we think have a substance abuse disorder.
“It can happen to a child who gets into the medicine cabinet accidentally. It can also happen to an 80-year-old grandmother who can’t remember how many pills she took. Honestly, overdose can happen to anybody, any socio-economic standing, any walk of life, so it’s important that naloxone gets out into the community to the people that need it the most.”
Also at the event was Elizabeth Willis, attending with her three children, ages 11, four, and nine months old.
In fact, Willis had her 11-year-old daughter, Genevieve, also train with Narcan, in part because she will soon be heading to middle school.
“Drugs are everywhere these days,” said Willis, noting that she recently lost a close relative to a heroin overdose.
Following the loss, Willis said she believes it’s important for both her and her children to have immediate access to Narcan.
“If it’s available, I want to carry it around, and even if it’s somebody I don’t know, as long as somebody can be there [to give Narcan]," she said. “Nowhere is safe anymore. In high school, you see drugs running around all the time, and now we’ve got the worst stuff coming around.
“It’s not kids sitting around talking about pot and how they’re so cool now; they’re carrying syringes.”
Willis, who once found a syringe at a school bus stop, said both she and her daughter, as long as Genevieve can get her own kit, will consistently carry Narcan.
It’s a resource, she said, that can help during even the most unpredictable of situations.
“I think it’s tremendous,” noted Willis. “If people can have it all over, and seeing that person passed out in an alleyway, like the one call I heard about the other day, you can be right there and respond appropriately.”