The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #55096

Dan Bigg, CRADC¹, Sarz Maxwell, MD¹, Susan G. Sherman, MPH, PhD², and Robert Heimer, PhD³. (1) Chicago Recovery Alliance, 400 E Ohio Street - Suite 3103, Chicago, IL 60611, (2) Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Room E6006, Baltimore, MD 21205, (3) Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, 60 College St., LEPH503, New Haven, CT 06520

Chicago Recovery Alliance integrated an opiate OD intervention project into a decade's old harm reduction outreach effort. While all lethal overdoses are tragic, opiate overdose is even more so given that there is a decades old antidote to opiate intoxication called naloxone (Narcan), which acts to temporarily reverse opiate OD and restore breathing.

CRA developed participant materials, training aids and protocols for teaching outreach participants about opiate OD prevention/intervention, rescue breathing, naloxone care and administration, and training guides are available freely at CRA’s website (http://www.anypositivechange.org/res.html).

This program has reached over 1,700 people through December 2002. Through January 2003, CRA has received first-person reports from participants of 124 reversals of opiate-involved ODs. None of the rescuers or victims cared to repeat the OD experience or rescue as it was aversive to all. Other indicators of impact include the data from the Cook County Medical Examiners Office. We hope that the old mistakes of shame and condemnation do not prevent such life-saving care from being available and being used. Up-to-date program information and evaluation measures will be shared.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the pandemic growth of opiate-related overdose deaths in the US over the last decade.
• Describe the pure antagonistic effects of naloxone and its routes of effective use.
• Discuss one program of opiate OD prevention/intervention in Chicago and its evaluation of impact.
• Define essential components of a program teaching and prescribing naloxone to opiate users.

Keywords: Intravenous Drug Use, Drug Injectors

Related Web page: www.anypositivechange.org/res.html

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Naloxone is a generic medicine with half a dozen manufacturers in the USA. No preference will be given to any particular manufacturer.
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.