Club members handed out $7,000 in Narcan after educating passersby.
Students, network members and Department of Public Safety officials gathered Wednesday around a white table at the intersection of Jefferson and Hoover with a giant sign hanging from a table that read “NARCAN FREE. “Narcan kits, and where Narcan education took place.
Inside a nearby ambulance, Luke Sparks, a sophomore specializing in fitness promotion and disease prevention, gave attendees a tour of the area and pointed out vital medical devices, such as petroleum-based gauze for gunshot wounds, a valve mask for heart disease. Arrests and illuminated sirens, which can be used in emergencies or for fun.
At one point, a brave volunteer agreed to participate in Sparks’ demonstration on how to put a neck brace on someone.
Meanwhile, at the table, academics dressed in the same dark blue T-shirts explained the telltale symptoms of an overdose, how to administer Narcan, and why it’s vital to have it on hand. After completing their presentation, attendees covered themselves for a certificate, fentanyl-resistant gloves, and, as promised, a box of Narcan.
Sophia Dettweiler, the club’s treasurer and a sophomore specializing in fitness promotion and disease prevention, as well as neuroscience, said the certificate isn’t official, but the club must keep track of those who have finished their training. Across the country, overdose deaths continue to rise.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls opioid overdoses an “epidemic” and states that more than a million people have died since 1999 from drug overdoses, and that 75% of all drug overdose deaths involve an opioid. to spare you pain and includes prescription opioids, fentanyl, and heroin.
Narcan is a life-saving medication used to prevent opioid overdoses. Administration of naloxone (the express chemical in Narcan that reduces the effects of opioids) through a nasal spray or in liquid form can prevent death from overdose.
“We’ve been telling academics all day that [an overdose] can happen to anyone,” Dettweiler said. “Maybe you’re taking anything else that you don’t know contains fentanyl. . . Maybe you’re walking down the street on your way home from school and you see a stranger on the street, there’s going to be an overdose and you could save his life. You never know. “
After 4 hours, the USC Emergency Medicine Club distributed more than 120 boxes of Narcan, more than $7,000.
“I definitely feel more knowledgeable about Narcan management and more comfortable with someone,” said Enton Cheng, a graduate student in finance.
Narcan’s position is a “barrier to entry,” said Hallie Yong, a fitness specialist. A box containing one dose sells for about $50.
Lisette Perales, a psychology student, didn’t know she could get Narcan loose at the Engemann Student Health Center. It was the safety of a loose Narcan that led her to the booth.
“I’ve gotten used to the party scene,” Perales said. “I haven’t noticed anyone using opioids, but I know it’s a big challenge here, and if someone wants help, I have to be there to help. “
USC’s EM Club is popular as a student organization, even though USC has noticed a continued pause in new programs since January. Dettweiler said they would reapply as soon as the programs reopen next fall.
Sparks, the organization’s director and founder, serves in many hats outside of the club. In addition to being a full-time pre-med student at USC, he is an EMT-911 at Falck Ambulance and a clinical instructor in the UCLA Department of Medicine. Emergency Medicine, where he teaches life-saving techniques.
Sparks became an EMT in part because he said he wanted to know what to do in the event of a medical emergency after a few close calls with friends and family. At work, he saw patients die from opioid overdoses. and said USC scholars do their best to take care of the South Central community.
“I think it’s critical that everyone, not just pre-med students, get emergency medical education, whether it’s CPR education or stopping bleeding,” Sparks said. “These are important medical skills that everyone knows. I feel like they’re being taught. “at a younger age.
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