Learn to administer Narcan at this Temple student-run workshop

For Nora Wilson, a junior at Temple University studying printmaking, the reason for hosting her own workshop on how to administer Narcan was simple.

“More than anything else, I was just tired of hearing that people I know had passed away due to an opioid addiction,” Wilson said in an email.

Narcan, one of the more popular brand names for the over-the-counter medication known as nalaxone, is used to counteract the effects of someone experiencing an overdose from opioids. Educating people on how to administer Narcan in an emergency situation has been an initiative seen across the city, with the Gurney Street cleanup and even amongst librarians.

Wilson’s first workshop will be held this Thursday at noon on the lawn by the 7-11 at Broad and Diamond streets near Temple’s main campus (though check the Facebook event page the day of to be sure). Attendees can expect to learn about the procedures before and after administering the drug, what the effects of the drug will be and and where you can buy Narcan.

Wilson, who will be running the workshop by herself, said she herself learned how to use Narcan through an online course, plus supplemental reading and research. The reason for running this workshop solo, even though Wilson said she received many offers for help, is because she wanted to keep the workshop more casual, “just to stay true to my intentions,” she said.

As of this writing, the Facebook event has 80 people saying they’ll attend, with 397 more interested. Wilson said she didn’t expect this much attention but hopes will translate to more lives being saved from overdose deaths, of which there were nearly 700 in Philly in 2015.

“My hope with this whole thing is obviously just that at least one person is able to help a friend or loved one or even a stranger who may need it,” Wilson added. “I hope to host more of these workshops in the future, and I will also be making a small pamphlet covering most of the information I will go over in the workshop, so if there is anyone who can’t make it they can still learn a bit about it.”