Horizons Counseling Center hosts free narcan training event Aug. 31
The Town of Smithtown Horizons Counseling and Education Center will mark International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Recovery Month by holding a Narcan training event for the community. On Thursday, August 31 from noon to 1 p.m. there will be a free Narcan training seminar in the Community Room of Horizons Counseling and Education Center, located at 161 E. Main Street in Smithtown.
“Our communities are living in a time that fatal and non-fatal overdose has affected each individual directly or in-directly. Everyone knows someone who has overdosed either personally or through a friend, family member, co-worker or acquaintance. With Fentanyl infecting our communities; awareness, prevention, treatment, policy and stigma relevant to loss of life involving the drug, are all examples of the importance of International Overdose Awareness Day and what the campaign targets throughout the world. At Horizons, we understand the effect overdose has on the person and their loved ones. Narcan is a lifesaving drug that can reverse opioid overdose and training like the one we are offering is valuable to the public in recognizing the signs and symptoms of and responding to overdose. Narcan administration is a simple method of emergency response that carries an immense lifesaving result,” said Joe Bieniewicz, Director of Drug and Alcohol Counseling Services’
On International Overdose Awareness Day, people and communities come together to raise awareness of one of the world’s most urgent public health crises – one that, unfortunately, is only getting worse. Having an outpatient drug and alcohol agency right in the township is an asset for the community. Additionally, learning the signs of an overdose can help save a life. The IOAD 2023 theme of “Recognizing those people who go unseen” is about acknowledging people in our communities who are affected by overdose but might go unseen in the crisis.
Narcan kits will be provided for free. Horizons Counseling and Education Center resource tables will be set up around the training area, filled with information about recovery services, the outpatient program and substance misuse prevention education. All are welcome to attend to get trained and to hear about the drug and alcohol treatment and prevention services that Horizons provides.
Space is limited and on a first come first serve basis. Residents can reserve space by scanning the QR code on the flier, contacting Horizons Counseling and Education Center at (631) 360-7578, via email at [email protected], or by registering online at https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ejw82n5fab29a8f3&oseq=&c=&ch=.
