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Valley Stream American legion to host overdose response workshop

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Valley Stream residents concerned about the rising rates of opioid use and overdoses will have a chance to learn about how to respond in emergency situations.

At least 87 people died in Nassau County from opioid overdoses since the beginning of 2014, and police and EMTs in the county have responded to more than 370 non-fatal overdoses in the same time period. Nine non-fatal overdoses were documented in Valley Stream in the past month, the most in the county during that time period, and 10 overdose deaths were recorded between January 2012 to June 2014, the sixth highest rate among Nassau communities during that time period.

To combat the heroin epidemic, County Executive Ed Mangano’s office is sponsoring an educational event about opioid overdose kits on Oct. 7 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Valley Stream American Legion Hall on Roosevelt Avenue.

The event was organized by Eden Laikin, head of the Nassau County Heroin Prevention Task Force and the Nassau County Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force. Laikin said she was inspired to begin educational efforts such as these after losing a friend to an overdose and seeing the rise of opioid use and overdoses across Nassau County and the rest of Long Island.

“It was something that I really wanted to get into, and I spoke with County Executive Ed Mangano before he even went into office. As we talked more about it, we decided to start the Heroin Prevention Task Force and then eventually the Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force,” Laikin said.

Attendees at the event will receive opioid overdose kits, which include the overdose reversal agent known as Naloxone or Narcan. Attendees will also learn how to recognize the signs of an overdose and how to administer Narcan. “People that are dying from this are dying for the most part in their own homes. By using these kits we can hopefully prevent some of those deaths,” Laikin said.

She added that the kits pose no harm to users, even if someone given Narcan is not experiencing an overdose.

Laikin spearheaded the county’s overdose reversal program after learning of the life-saving agents from news stories in other states. From there, she helped the county become state certified with the Overdose Responder Program in 2012, which allowed them to begin holding educational workshops.

Those that would like to attend the event or learn more should contact Eden Laikin at elaikin@nassaucountyny.gov or 516-571-6105.