LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Dozens of first-year medical students from the University of Louisville have learned another life-saving skill: how to reverse an overdose with the nasal spray, Narcan.
“Peel it off, place it and press,” demonstrated Dr. James Murphy, assistant clinical professor for the UofL School of Medicine.
The training Tuesday afternoon was part of a partnership with the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition, which provided the kits.
The students are the next generation that will work to reduce stigma around harm reduction, said Murphy.
“A lot of doctors think that harm reduction is simply not medicine,” he said. “Again, (that) you’re just enabling people, the clean syringe exchanges, things of that nature, but what you’re doing is you’re providing care and keeping them alive and moving toward getting the treatment they need and we do harm reduction in all types of medicine.”
Student Taylen Henry said it is important not to stigmatize those who might need help.
“Even if we weren’t medical students, this would be super, super important because anybody in our community can be affected by this problem, especially since it’s considered an epidemic in Kentucky,” she said. “We shouldn’t judge them. We should just help them in any way we can.”
A state report shows that in 2021, 2,250 people died from an overdose in Kentucky.
“These lives that are lost to these opioid overdoses could be saved by Narcan,” said Murphy.
All the students went home with their own kit to use in case they ever need it.