Approximately every 5 hours and 56 minutes, there is a fatal opioid overdose in Colorado. CSU Health Network, in collaboration with SAFE Project, the CSU School of Social Work, The Health District of Northern Larimer County, and the North Colorado Health Alliance seeks to lead a movement at Colorado State University to provide knowledge and training regarding Naloxone as well as make NARCAN (Naloxone HCl) widely accessible in case of emergency.

You are invited to attend a free training to learn more about the opioid and fentanyl crisis in our community, overdose prevention, and the life-saving drug Naloxone. Through the training, participants will receive harm reduction strategies, comprehensive prevention education regarding the opiate crisis, the influx of Fentanyl, and how to prevent accidental overdose. Everyone who participates in the training will have the opportunity to receive a box of NARCAN which contains two doses. NARCAN Nasal Spray helps reverse an opioid overdose using a concentrated 4mg dose. NARCAN is needle free, without need for assembly, designed for community use, and does not require specialized training.

There are multiple dates to choose from, and in-person and virtual/online trainings are available. Registration is required.

Upcoming training opportunities:

• Wednesday, March 23 from 3 – 4 p.m. in Lory Student Center Room 324 – Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-person-overdose-prevention-naloxone-training-tickets-277793938147
• Tuesday, March 29 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. in CSU Health Network Multipurpose Rooms A & B (3^rd floor) – *Combined Recovery Ally/Naloxone Training* –  Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-person-overdose-prevention-naloxone-training-tickets-277806515767
• Monday, April 11 from 4 – 5 p.m. – Online training via Zoom – Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-overdose-prevention-naloxone-training-tickets-277792403557
• Tuesday, April 26 from 5 – 6 p.m. in Lory Student Center Room 342 – Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-person-overdose-prevention-naloxone-training-tickets-277793938147

Why is this training important?

• Since 1999, more than 750,000 Americans have died from a drug overdose, with overdoses rising nationally to 103,000 overdose deaths from May 2020 – May 2021 (a 30% increase from the previous year). In 2020, 1,477 Coloradans died of an overdose, with 798 of those deaths involving opioids, and 540 of those opioid overdoses involving fentanyl specifically. For 2021, current estimates are over 1,800 overdoses, with the increase driven largely due to the opioid fentanyl.
• Since 2000, we have lost over 16,000 Coloradans to overdose. That’s enough to sell out Moby Arena twice. Where in the early 2000s, much of the public health concern around opioids focused on heroin, today 2 out of 3 opioid overdoses involve synthetic opioids. Nationwide an estimated 11.8 million people misused opioids in 2016, and less than 10% of them had used heroin according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.  This national epidemic has impacted individuals from all walks of life.  Due to the influx of fentanyl, many who have lost their life was due to recreational use.