Naloxone- Administration Training Has Saved 88 Lives In first Two Years Of Waukesha County's Plan To Fight Opioids Crisis

(WAUKESHA, WI) – Today, Waukesha County officials are announcing that within the first two years of participation in the Wisconsin Prescription Drug Overdose (PDO) grant, 88 lives have been documented as saved in the county due to administration of naloxone by professionals and individuals who received our overdose response training and reported the saved life. The announcement coincides with National Prevention Week, which includes education and training events across Waukesha County.

“The PDO project has expanded collaborations between the County, our local partners, and individuals. Investing resources has strengthened relationships and improved public safety,” said Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow. “People countywide want to change the perception around an opioid drug overdose because they know that when you are trained to rapidly respond with naloxone, you can save a life.”

Two-year outcomes since the work of the PDO project began in May 2017 to present include:

• 88 overdose reversals documented by the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS), 86 of the lives saved were with naloxone provided at the trainings
•  282 Opioid Overdose Education Trainings conducted for 3,203 people, and 2,860 naloxone (brand name: Narcan) kits distributed free of charge
•  825 law enforcement officers trained from 29 agencies
• 283 individuals received direct outreach from DHHS within 72 hours of experiencing an opioid overdose

About Waukesha County’s Plan to Fight the Opioids Crisis
Waukesha County receives $225,522 per year for five years by the state’s participation in the Wisconsin Prescription Drug/Opioid Overdose-Related Deaths Prevention Project (WI-PDO), a federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The work focuses on the reduction of deaths and adverse events among individuals through major activities of (1) training first responders and other key community sectors on the prevention of overdose-related deaths, (2) purchasing and distributing naloxone to those trained, (3) direct outreach to overdose survivors within 72 hours to connect them to treatment and effective supports for them and their families, and (4) environmental scanning to identify opportunities for improved collaborative efforts.

Go to www.samhsa.gov and www.waukeshacounty.gov/overdoseprevention for information about the WI-PDO grant, trainings, and events. Follow DHHS on Twitter at @WaukeshaCoHHS.