LBCC needs to emphasize the importance of Narcan education and promote the free product availability on both campuses to students.
Narcan is a nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose and provide enough time to get the person to professional help.
LBCC hosts an on-campus training event twice a month, but no students have shown up to a majority of the events.
The 20-30 minute training is hosted by Gabriel Paz from the Helping Youth Counseling organization on LAC in room D135.
Students are unaware of the fact that when they complete Narcan training at the event, they will also receive a completion certification, which acknowledges that they were educated properly on the administration of Narcan and how to recognize the signs of an overdose.
Narcan certifications are also available through Overdose Lifeline for $25, but if the school were to emphasize that they provide free services and certifications, more students may be apt to attend.
LBCC not only provides the training but also the product itself on campus at Student Health Services on both LAC and TTC campuses.
The retail cost of Narcan is $58, but it is available at no cost for students and is displayed to be accessible in the LAC Student Health Services Center.
The product is on display for students to be able to grab and go, without needing to talk to anyone behind the counter.
Fentanyl test strips are also available at the Student Health Services Center, though students will need to speak to the person at the counter to obtain them.
As the rate of festival and live entertainment attendance rises among college students, both students and faculty should stress the importance of Narcan and its effects in these scenarios.
Major music festivals, such as Coachella, Lollapalooza and Beyond Wonderland tend to have heavy recreational drug use during their weekends.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), California had a rate of 26.9 deaths due to drug overdose per 100,000 people in 2022.
The population of California in 2022 was 39.1 million, leaving the total number of deaths to be 10,952 people.
Promotional flyers are posted around high traffic areas such as the bulletin boards in each building and the Coffee Pavilion, but the flyers are boring, lack necessary information and students often pass them by.
LBCC needs to emphasize the importance of Narcan education, the free availability of the product to students, as well as how the convenience of free on-campus programs allow students to have the privilege of getting certified within 30 minutes.
