In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, Senator Jeff Klein hosted a free naloxone training. The event in Hunts Point was one of 600 internationally recognized events that helped to shine a light on the the growing epidemic of widespread drug addiction and overdose related deaths.
Senator Klein was joined by Councilman Rafael Salamanca, members of the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), Forward South Bronx Coalition and the New York State Department of Health to provide the community with the life-saving medication Naloxone as well as hands-on demonstrations for proper use.
New York City, and the South Bronx specifically, have been stricken by the opioid epidemic in recent years. The South Bronx experienced 308 overdose deaths in 2016, the highest in the city. At the federal level, overdose deaths was recently deemed a national emergency which reflects the seriousness of the issue the entire country faces. Naloxone reverses the effects of an overdose and is being attributed with stemming the tide of rising deaths throughout the state.
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