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(ABC 6 News) – More than a dozen people sat poolside at the Soldier’s Field Aquatic Center on Tuesday, but not for what you might think.
Instead of taking a bath, people learned how to administer naloxone in case of an overdose.
“We’ll briefly cover how to recognize an overdose. What’s happening in a person’s body and brain, what symptoms should we look for, and how to respond with naloxone,” says Megan Walsh, overdose prevention specialist at the Steve Rummler Hope Network.
It’s a problem that affects many here in Olmsted County.
“We’ve heard about a number of overdoses in our city and it’s happened at one of our pools, so our first step was to train all of our staff in overdose prevention. And we also open the facility to the public every year to spread the word,” said Sam Sonnabend, aquatics director at the Soldier’s Field Aquatic Center in Rochester.
Walsh knows firsthand the devastating effects when someone is unprepared and doesn’t know how to use naloxone.
“In the United States, someone dies every 6.5 minutes from an opioid overdose. Opioid overdose affects all of us. It affects us regardless of age, race and upbringing,” Walsh said.
She also said it could have a positive effect on the community.
“I think this is a great tool for our public health, just to improve the safety of our own community and look out for others,” Walsh said.
With so many overdose incidents occurring across the United States, it is more important than ever to learn how to use these kits.
Information on how to use the kits can be found here.
