Thundermist Health Center trains employees to administer naloxone
WARWICK – Thundermist Health Center will train all employees on how to save the life of someone experiencing an opioid overdose by administering naloxone, the overdose-reversing medicine also known as Narcan. Naloxone will be provided to employees, at no cost, to use if they encounter a person experiencing overdose.
Thundermist Health Center is the first health care organization in the state to commit to training its entire staff and providing naloxone to employees free of charge. Five training dates will be offered to more than 520 employees.
A trained individual knows how to recognize the signs of an overdose and how to respond. This training, combined with access to naloxone, can potentially save lives.
Opioid overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in Rhode Island. In fact, more Rhode Islanders die from overdose than murder, arson, and car accidents combined.
The communities Thundermist serves the most are disproportionately impacted by the overdose crisis. In 2016, Woonsocket had the highest overdose death rate in the state, which was nearly twice the state average. West Warwick was also disproportionately impacted with the fifth-highest rate in Rhode Island.
In South County, more than 30 people died from overdose.
“Our communities are in a crisis,” said Jeanne LaChance, MBA, CPA, president/CEO. “Thundermist recognizes our responsibility to make an impact inside and outside of the exam room. Increasing the availability of naloxone, and training individuals on appropriate administration, will help to save lives. We want to provide our employees – clinical and non-clinical staff – with the tools and education needed to act. Staff will use this knowledge throughout our community in their roles as health care professionals and neighbors.”
The training is offered in collaboration with the Preventing Overdose Through Naloxone Intervention Program.
In addition to providing naloxone, Thundermist Health Center provides medication-assisted treatment and counseling for substance use disorders as part of our primary care services.