The SOS Overdose Prevention Program
Since September 2011, we've been doing overdose prevention trainings at all our needle exchange sites. The training teaches people how to recognize and respond to an opiate overdose situation.
An opiate overdose can result in respiratory failure (the person stops breathing)and death from lack of oxygen.
(The term "opiates" includes: Heroin, Morphine, Methadone, OxyContin, Oxycodone, Percocet, Vicodin, and Fentanyl.)
We teach people about rescue breathing and Narcan injection.
Narcan (generic name: naloxone) is a drug that, if used quickly enough, can reverse the overdose. It's been used in emergency rooms and carried by EMTs for over thirty years. People who are trained by us are given a rescue kit that contains injectible Narcan. Our intention is to have the Narcan immediately available when an overdose happens, so there's no waiting for the ambulance to arrive. The training is available to injection drug users, their friends and families.
The Narcan is legally prescribed by Dr. Bill Morris (of the Janus clinic) and the program is authorized by CA Senate Bill 767 and Assembly Bill 2145.
We have reports of more than ten overdose reversals so far (December 2011).
Some success stories (YouTube)
A fact sheet describing peer-based distribution of Narcan (88KB PDF)
Information from the Harm Reduction Coalition
Getting out of jail - the increased danger of overdosing (YouTube)
Drug overdoses now kill more people in the U.S. than car accidents, and most of those overdoses are from prescription drugs.